Dec. 16 (UPI) — A suspect identified as Micah James Legnon has been arrested by agents from the FBI’s New Iberia office for allegedly planning an attack on federal agents.

Legnon, 29, was a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front and had communicated with four members who were charged with allegedly planning a series of New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks in the Greater Los Angeles area on Monday, WDSU reported.

He is a resident of New Iberia and was arrested on Friday while driving to New Orleans after FBI agents saw him loading a military-style rifle and body armor into his vehicle and telling others in a Signal chat group that he was traveling to New Orleans.

New Iberia is located about 120 miles west of New Orleans, and Legnon allegedly shared a video that showed multiple firearms, gas canisters and body armor before leaving on Friday.

In that post, Legnon said he was “On my way to NOLA now, be there in about two hours,” but the FBI arrested him while driving east on U.S. Highway 90, according to WWL-TV.

In a Dec. 4 post, Legnon shared a Facebook post showing Customs and Border Protection agents arresting someone and said he wanted to “recreate Waco, Texas,” on the federal officers while referencing the 1993 federal siege on the Branch Davidians compound there.

He is a former Marine who was trained in combat and a self-professed satanist who used the alias “Black Witch” in group chats with four suspects accused of targeting locations throughout California.

Federal prosecutors filed a federal complaint against Legnon and asked the magistrate judge to seal it and related records due to an ongoing investigation.

They asked that it be unsealed on Tuesday, which is a day after the four suspects accused of planning the California terror attacks were charged with related crimes.

The FBI said Legnon had been communicating with the four suspects in California before the arrests were made and charges filed in the respective cases.

The Turtle Island Liberation Front is a far-left, anti-government, anti-capitalist and pro-Palestinian group, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The Louisiana Department of Education announced Tuesday it was awarded $15 million to lead a study on the increasing impact of high-dosage tutoring.

The grant came from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research program. State education leaders said the money will fund a five-year study to expand the impact of high-dosage literacy tutoring for students in grades 1-2 who are below grade level in reading.

“Louisiana has shown what’s possible when states are trusted to lead,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Education for their confidence in our strategy and for investing in a Louisiana-designed solution to accelerate student literacy.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said making literacy outcomes stronger throughout the nation is one of her top priorities.

“Every dollar from this year’s EIR awards will support the use and expansion of evidence-based literacy instruction, expand education choice, and empower grant recipients to build and sustain high-quality literacy support systems for students. This is a huge opportunity for states to lead, and they are rising to the occasion,” she said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who joined McMahon in an August education roundtable in Baton Rouge, celebrated the funding. “Strong literacy skills are the foundation for everything that comes next in school and in life,” he said. “Louisiana has shown real progress, and this funding helps take what’s working and expand it so more students can succeed.”

Schools with low literacy proficiency rates will be prioritized. Air Reading, Studyyville, Johns Hopkins University and Louisiana higher education institutions will be key partnerships in the project.

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GONZALES, La. (WAFB) – A once-busy Mexican restaurant in Gonzales now sits nearly empty, as its owner says fear surrounding recent immigration operations in Louisiana is keeping workers and customers away.

La Mexicana, which has served the community for almost 30 years, has seen a sharp decline in business. Owner Veronica Chaves said the restaurant currently has no employees and only a handful of customers.

“This is sad,” Chaves said.

She believes recent immigration enforcement efforts, including an operation known as Catahoula Crunch, have left many immigrant families afraid to leave their homes even for work or meals.

“I just can’t believe it,” Chaves said.

Out of that fear, a new community effort has emerged.

Local college professor Raynell Hernandez, along with several volunteers, has helped turn La Mexicana into a donation drop-off site for families in need. Community members can donate food, clothing, and other essentials, while families can arrange safe pickup locations without being asked questions about their immigration status.

“We’re not trying to hide anyone. We’re just trying to help in any way that we can,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez said she has received dozens of messages from people requesting basic necessities, including jackets, diapers, and baby formula. She said the effort is focused on helping as many families as possible, especially children.

“Children don’t understand immigration status. They just know they’re hungry,” Hernandez said.

Both Hernandez and Chaves said they hope tensions surrounding immigration enforcement will ease soon. Until then, they say the community’s support is critical.

“Our hearts pour out to them,” Chaves said.

You can send donations to La Mexicana at any time between 9:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. The restaurant is located at 648 Louisiana 30 W B in Gonzales.

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