Federal authorities on Thursday arrested William Kelly, one of the anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, over the weekend.
FBI agents also arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the organizers of the protest, and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, a participant.
The protesters chose Cities Church because the assistant pastor, David Easterwood, leads a local ICE field office. He was not overseeing Sunday’s worship service, and it was not even clear if he was present at the church during the incident.
Kelly posted Monday on social media, “Come and get me [Attorney General] Pam Bondi.”
WARNING: The following videos contain vulgar language that some may find offensive.
Ok ✅ pic.twitter.com/tQZNbKFABA
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 22, 2026
NBC News reported that he also “posted a video on TikTok about three hours before his arrest Thursday condemning Armstrong’s arrest.”
“My lawyers tell me they have no f***ing case,” Kelly said in the video, adding that the use of the FACE Act to justify the arrests “is complete bulls***.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X, “William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots.”
William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots. pic.twitter.com/cXuuvQ9zxR
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 22, 2026
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon laid out on Monday during an interview with conservative podcast host Benny Johnson the charges which the protesters may face.
“We will pursue charges in this case,” she confirmed. “Exactly what they are, I’m not going to flag, but the FACE Act has been mentioned as one of the predicates there.”
BREAKING: DOJ Announces Intention to Charge Don Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act.
The KKK Act makes it illegal to threaten, hurt, or intimidate people to prevent them from exercising their God-given rights.
HARMEET DHILLON: “The Klan Act is one of the most important federal… pic.twitter.com/GWnXAMtWc9
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 19, 2026
The FACE Act, in addition to protecting abortion clinics, makes it a crime to “intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
Dhillon also cited the Ku Klux Klan Act, which makes it illegal “to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens,” she said.
Here’s what happened inside Cities Church today. Look at the terrified child being comforted by his father at 1:05.
If the FACE Act isn’t enforced against these lawless radicals, then expect for this to continue all over the country.@AAGDhillon pic.twitter.com/uV8Btg1tFX
— Denny Burk (@DennyBurk) January 19, 2026
In a video, Kelly posted a TikTok video of him accosting congregants at Cities Church, calling them “fake Christians” and “comfortable white people.” He asked, “Why are you not standing with your Somali and Latino communities?… You’re sinners! You’re pretending to be Christians… Living real comfortable while children are dragged into concentration camps.”
BREAKING: William Kelly who filmed himself storming a church in Minnesota and harassing congregants has been ARRESTED by the FBI pic.twitter.com/njqU1MlpKo
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 22, 2026
Cities Church pastor Jonathan Parnell said in a Tuesday statement, “On Sunday, January 18, a group of agitators jarringly disrupted our worship gathering. They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat. Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated. Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.”
“Church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message. We therefore call on local, state, and national leaders to protect this fundamental right,” he added.
A THIRD subject has now been arrested connected to targeting Cities Church in Minneapolis Sunday.
William Kelly is now in custody. @AGPamBondi @HSI_HQ @FBIMinneapolis https://t.co/6nM5R6wIAc
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 22, 2026
Doug Wardlow, director of litigation at True North Legal, the group providing legal representation to Cities Church, said in a statement on Thursday, “The arrests and the prosecutions to follow will help ensure that mob aggression like Cities Church experienced will not be repeated in any other house of worship.”
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