5 Accused Of Domestic Terrorism In Attacks At ATL Public Safety Center

ATLANTA, GA — Five people were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of domestic terrorism after a string of criminal acts at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday.

The arrests were part of a joint operation to combat ongoing crime at the site belonging to the Atlanta Police Department, the GBI said. According to media reports, protesters have been present at the site for the last year, clashing with police over the training center's construction and vying to protect the forest on the land.

Authorities on Tuesday removed barricades that were blocking some of the training center's entrances, the GBI said, noting some of the barricades were makeshift treehouses. Afterwards, police found explosive devices, gasoline and road flairs in the area, the GBI said.

Several people are accused of throwing rocks at police cars and attacking emergency medical technicians who were outside of the nearby fire stations with rocks and bottles, the GBI said.

According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, protests at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center stretch as far back as a year ago when the Atlanta City Council approved a land lease, making way for the Atlanta Police Foundation to construct the $90 million training center. The facility is located on 300 acres of forestland owned by Atlanta in southwest DeKalb County, according to the AJC.

Environmental activists in media reports have deemed the project "Cop City."

“I don’t think people are defeated,” Community Movement Builders leader Kamau Franklin told the AJC. “I think there are forest defenders who will continue to defend the forest. That means civil disobedience, that means rallies, demonstrations. That means all the tactics that we can use that we believe will be successful in convincing people that there’s no reason to build cop city.”

Protesters have reportedly set up camp at the training site. 11Alive reported police officers are accused of using tear gas and pepper balls on the campers.

The following people were arrested Tuesday and taken to the DeKalb County Jail, according to the GBI:

• Francis Carroll, 22, of Maine, on suspicion of criminal trespass, domestic terrorism, aggravated assault, felony obstruction, interference with government property and possession of tools for the commission of the crime
• Nicholas Olsen, 25, on suspicion of domestic terrorism, aggravated assault, interference with government property and obstruction — no location is listed for Olsen
• Serena Hertel, 25, of California, on suspicion of criminal trespass, domestic terrorism, aggravated assault, obstruction and inciting a riot
• Leonard Vioselle, 20, on suspicion of criminal trespass, domestic terrorism and possession for tools of the crime — no location is listed for Vioselle
• Arieon Robinson, of Wisconsin, on suspicion of criminal trespass, obstruction and domestic terrorism — no age is listed for Robinson

Gov. Brian Kemp released the following statement in response to the arrests:

“We will not stop or slow down when it comes to bringing domestic terrorists to justice in Georgia, and yesterday’s arrests should serve as a strong reminder of that to anyone threatening our communities. I want to commend the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Police Department, FBI and other law enforcement involved in yesterday’s operation for their courage and professionalism. This group will continue to work closely together as we disrupt the entire criminal network and ensure construction for the first-responder training facility moves forward.”

The GBI said some of the ongoing criminal activities at the training center include carjacking, various crimes against persons, destruction of property, arson and attacks against public safety officials. Several arrests have been made in the past few months, the GBI said.

Authorities ask anyone with information to call the GBI at 1 (800) 597-8477.