Notes written by the person who opened fire on an immigration facility in Texas indicate he was targeting ICE agents and did not intend to harm detainees, officials said.
One detainee was killed and two others critically injured after a suspected sniper opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centre in Dallas on Wednesday.
The suspected gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, law enforcement officials said.
Speaking at a news conference, acting US attorney for the Northern district of Texas, Nancy Larson, identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, of Fairview, Texas.
Notes found at the shooter's home show 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, added Larson, emphasizing that the shooter was focused on ICE personnel.
The identity of the victims has not yet been confirmed, but Mexico's foreign ministry reported one injured detainee is a Mexican national.
FBI director Kash Patel stated that evidence suggests a high degree of planning prior to the attack, with handwritten notes expressing the intention to instill fear in ICE agents.
On Thursday, Larson reaffirmed that Jahn likely acted alone and described the shooting as a "targeted, ambush-style attack" against law enforcement. She emphasized the terrorism aspect of the act, stating that it was intended to "terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work".
Furthermore, Marcos Charles, ICE field office director of enforcement and removal operations, condemned the violent rhetoric against ICE, asserting that it endangers officers and emboldens such attacks.
Overall, this incident highlights the escalating tensions surrounding immigration enforcement amid ongoing debates about policy and its implications on public safety.
