Last Updated on December 18, 2022
Five far-left extremists are facing multiple felonies — including domestic terrorism — for attacking police in Atlanta. Leftist militants have for months attacked law enforcement, in one instance with Molotov cocktails, at the building site of a new police training center.
On December 13, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) conducted a raid on the so-called autonomous zone at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, veteran reporter Andy Ngo reported via The Post Millennial. Antifa and other far-left extremists have descended on the site in recent months in an effort to stop the construction of what they refer to as “Cop City.”
“The City of Atlanta has leased 381 acres of Weelaunee Forest, stolen Muscogee land, to the Atlanta Police Foundation for a police military facility funded by corporations,” the Stop Cop City organization states on its website. “Cop City will never be built. #StopCopCity #DefendWeelaunee.”
Officers carrying out the raid were attacked with rocks and bottled by leftist militants hiding behind makeshift treehouses. After rioters were cleared from the site, the GBI reported that it recovered explosives, gasoline and other weapons from the site.
Five individuals were ultimately slapped with domestic terrorism charges, according to the GBI.
Serena Abby Hertel, 25, was charged with domestic terrorism, criminal trespass, aggravated assault, obstruction and inciting a riot. She was previously photographed for an Open Society Foundations-sponsored story about the so called “autonomous zone” for The Guardian, Ngo reported.
Hertel has addresses in Boise, Idaho and Los Angeles California.
In addition to Hertel, Leonard Voiselle, 20, was charged with domestic terrorism, criminal trespass, and possession of tools of the crime. Nicholas Dean Olson, 25, Francis Carroll, 22 and Arieon Robinson, 21 were hit with similar charges, including domestic terrorism. Like their comrades, the rioters are not initially from Georgia, hailing from Nebraska, Maine and Wisconsin respectively.
We will not rest when it comes to bringing domestic terrorists to justice, and these arrests should serve as a strong reminder of that.
Great job, @GBI_GA, @Atlanta_Police, @DeKalbCountyPD, and other law enforcement involved in yesterday’s operation!https://t.co/C1u6WKI2i9
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 14, 2022
The “autonomous zone” has been growing since January as leftist militants from across the country have flocked to it. According to the GBI, the site has been the scene of numerous assaults, arson and a carjacking, in addition to significant property damage.
The Atlanta Police department has estimated that hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in property damage has been caused as a result of attacks on construction equipment.
In May, Atlanta Police arrested eight militants after police officers protecting construction workers were attacked with Molotov cocktails. According to Ngo, at least six of those individuals participated in violent BLM riots in Minneapolis in 2020.
“Over the past several months, law enforcement has made several arrests for ongoing criminal activity at the site, including carjacking, various crimes against persons, destruction of property, arson, and attacks against public safety officials,” the GBI wrote in a tweet posted earlier this week.
Over the past several months, law enforcement has made several arrests for ongoing criminal activity at the site, including carjacking, various crimes against persons, destruction of property, arson, and attacks against public safety officials.
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) December 14, 2022