14-year-old arrested on terrorism charges after allegedly discussing plans to shoot up church in Florida
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister speaks at a press conference on Feb. 4, 2026. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
(WIMAUMA, Fla.) — A 14-year-old is in custody after allegedly discussing plans to carry out a shooting at a church in Wimauma, Florida, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced Wednesday.
The teen suspect allegedly “engaged in an online chat room that’s designed or designated for violent extremists,” Chronister said.
The sheriff said that the suspect is also allegedly linked to a Neo-Nazi Satanic group.
The sheriff’s office served a search warrant at the teen’s residence, where they allegedly found multiple firearms, ammunition, and electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material.
Sheriff Chronister said the firearms recovered included one from his father’s nightstand “that he easily could have had access to.”
“Think about the potential of the violence that could have occurred,” Chronister added.
The suspect was arrested at his home on Jan. 31. Just days earlier, the Joint Terrorism Task Force received information from the Internet Predator Unit that they were investigating a computer at the same residence, Chronister said.
In addition to terrorism charges, the suspect is charged with fourteen counts of solicitation or possession of child pornography.
Liam Conejo Ramos, as he is detained, January 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Columbia Heights Public Schools)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — An immigration judge has denied Liam Conejo Ramos and his family’s asylum claim, their attorney confirmed.
The 5-year-old boy and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were detained on Jan. 20 by immigration agents in Minneapolis and held in a Texas detention facility. A judge ordered them to be released and they flew back to Minnesota on Feb. 1.
Attorney Danielle Molliver told ABC News on Thursday the family was unable to present any evidence in the case before the government filed a motion to terminate the case which a judge granted. Molliver said she has filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals.
“We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome,” a spokesperson for Columbia Heights Public School District said earlier in confirming the asylum claim denial. “The detention in January of Liam and his father shed light on the harm caused by Operation Metro Surge, during which many children and families have been detained.”
The boy and his father were detained in January shortly after arriving home from the child’s preschool, school officials had said.
Both were taken to a federal detention facility in Dilley, Texas. They had a pending asylum case but no order of deportation.
The five-year-old’s father told ABC News last month that he wants to remain in the United States with his family, saying they fled Ecuador out of fear.
“I asked for asylum to be here for my family, for my children,” Conejo Arias said. “I’m here because I’m scared of returning to my country.”
In a statement after a judge ordered them to be released, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “The facts in this case have NOT changed: ICE did NOT target or arrest a child.”
“On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration,” McLaughlin said. “As agents approached, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias fled on foot — abandoning his child.”
McLaughlin said ICE officers remained with Liam while other officers apprehended his father. Officers, according to McLaughlin, attempted to place Liam with his “alleged mother” who was inside the house, but she allegedly refused to accept custody of the child.
McLaughlin said Conejo Arias told officers he wanted his son to remain with him.
The DHS account differs from what the Conejo Arias, his family’s attorney and schools officials said occurred.
Conejo Arias said when he was detained, he was walking a few feet ahead of his son, trying to alert people who “would come out who could help” them.
“I love my son too much. I would never abandon him,” Conejo Arias said.
Officials from Liam’s school said another adult living in the home was outside begging the agents to allow them to take care of the child, but the request was denied.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks during a press conference outside of the Governor’s Mansion on April 13, 2025. Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
The “catastrophic” incident — possibly caused by a gas leak — unfolded Tuesday afternoon at the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol, which is about 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
Of the 20 people hurt, 19 are still hospitalized on Wednesday, including one in critical condition, Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said on Wednesday.
Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said parts of the first floor collapsed into the basement, trapping people inside.
All employees and all 120 residents of the facility have been accounted for, the police chief said.
Winick praised the “heroism” of the first responders, who he said ran into the building, despite the strong smell of gas, and evacuated residents, including some who couldn’t walk or talk.
“This could’ve been a much more serious catastrophe,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday. “The actions of everybody involved help preserve life.”
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, Dippolito said on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Tuesday that the preliminary belief was that a gas leak was responsible, and Dippolito said the source of the leak was in the facility’s basement.
Booking photograph of Colin Demarco (Arlington County Police Department)
(ARLINGTON, Va.) — A Maryland man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly showed up at the northern Virginia home of Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, according to law enforcement sources.
Colin Demarco, 26, is also charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder, carrying a concealed weapon and wearing a mask in public to conceal identity.
In a statement an OMB spokesperson said, “We are grateful for the work of law enforcement in keeping Director Vought and his family safe.”
Demarco was arrested Jan. 16 in Maryland following a monthslong investigation, extradited to Virginia and is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Center, police said. His arrest was announced Thursday.
The charges date back to an alleged incident in August when police were dispatched last to an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood for a report of a suspicious person.
“A witness reported observing a male suspect, who was wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and appeared to be concealing a firearm under his shirt, on the victim’s porch,” according to an Arlington County Police press release.
A criminal complaint filed in Arlington, Virginia, said Demarco was caught on a doorbell security camera with a mask on.
“Is anyone home,” he allegedly asked, saying he had an appointment, according to the complaint. The family was not home at the time.
Police say a neighbor them the man allegedly had the outline of a gun in his shirt.
The complaint said the U.S. Marshals Service identified Demarco and interviewed him in his home in Rockville, Maryland, four days later.
“Demarco stated the November 2024 election was the lowest point in his life for he feared for impending war and a fascist takeover,” the complaint stated. “He also allegedly “spoke of his admiration for Luigi Mansion [sic] and stated that Mangione was a ‘working class dream,’ and that Mangione had the ‘guts’ to do what others would not.”
Using search warrants, police said investigators recovered digital evidence that showed Demarco obtained Vought’s address, information about firearms and had posted online about soliciting murder within days of the Aug. 10 incident when allegedly he appeared at Vought’s home wearing a mask and gloves.
