https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/ice-domestic-terrorism-shooting/2025/09/25/id/1227871/Authorities said Thursday that the suspected gunman in the attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas wanted to inflict "real terror" on federal agents and "induce constant stress on their lives."
Police said Joshua Jahn, 29, opened fire Wednesday from a nearby rooftop at the ICE location in Dallas, killing a detainee and critically wounding two others in a detainee transport van. The suspect then died by suicide. No ICE employees were harmed.
Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said Thursday during a news conference that FBI search warrants at Jahn's residence found notes and papers that explicitly stated, "It was just me."
"Notably, these loose notes included a game plan of the attack and target areas at the facility," Larson said at an event that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform. "He called the ICE employees 'people showing up to collect a dirty paycheck.' He wrote that he intended to maximize lethality against ICE personnel and to maximize property damage at the facility. He hoped to minimize any collateral damage or injury to the detainees and any other innocent people.
"It seems that he did not intend to kill the detainees or harm them. It's clear from these notes that he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel. The tragic irony for his evil plot here is that it was a day a detainee who was killed, and two other detainees that were injured when he fired into the sallyport. He also hoped his actions would give ICE agents real terror of being gunned down. And he did this to induce constant stress in their lives. He hoped his actions would terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work, which he called human trafficking. And this, what he did is the very definition of terrorism."
Larson said the suspect's words "were definitively anti-ICE" but no evidence was found to indicate he was part of a specific group or entity and that he did not mention any government agency other than ICE, even though among his papers was a handwritten note in which, "in crude words," he expressed his hatred for the federal government.
Joe Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas field office, said Jahn legally purchased an 8 mm bolt-action rifle in August and echoed Larson's statement that he acted alone."Jahn specifically intended to kill ICE agents," Rothrock said. "He fired at transport vehicles carrying ICE personnel, federal agents and detainees. He also fired multiple shots into the windows of the office building where numerous ICE employees do their jobs every day. We now know that John engaged in significant high degree of pre-attack planning. He searched for information about the about the building and how to track ICE agents' locations. Jahn also acknowledged the potential for other casualties. He knew with a high likelihood ICE detainees would be transported that morning in the exact location where he was facing from his perch on a nearby rooftop.
"This attack, yet again, underscores the dangers that law enforcement face daily. We continue to see increased threats against law enforcement. This is the second attack in recent months on ICE facilities here in North Texas."
Marcos Charles, acting executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, pointed a finger at the media after saying "violent rhetoric has led to over 1,000% increase in assaults on ICE officers."
"I hope the media has the integrity to shine a light on this story," he said. "Enough is enough with the harmful lies and violent rhetoric. It has to stop. The shooter used the ICE tracking apps. Anyone who creates or distributes these apps that is designed to spot, track and locate ICE officers are well aware of the dangers that they are exposing to law enforcement. It's a casting call to invite bad actors to attack law enforcement officers.
"It's no different than giving a hitman the location of their intended target. And this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas yesterday. The media has been amplifying these apps, even as we warned them it would only lead to more attacks on law enforcement. We truly wish we didn't have to say I told you so, but here we are."
Earlier Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X the suspect studied high-profile acts of violence in the days leading up to the attack. Patel said investigators found the suspect conducted multiple internet searches Tuesday and Wednesday for ballistics and the "Charlie Kirk shot video." Patel noted the significance of those searches, which came just before the attack, in helping investigators assess motive and planning.
Agents also determined that the suspect downloaded a document, "Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management," which included a list of Department of Homeland Security facilities. Between Aug. 18 - 24, he searched apps that tracked ICE agent activity. A handwritten note recovered by investigators read: "Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, 'is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?'"
