Former Marine arrested for allegedly threatening to ‘recreate’ Waco massacre against federal agents

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - A former U.S. Marine and ex-police officer was arrested after he allegedly posted online threats about recreating the 1993 Waco massacre and offered combat training to members of radical groups.

Micah Legnon was booked on charges of making threats in interstate commerce, federal authorities said.

The 29-year-old man was arrested on Dec. 12 while traveling to New Orleans with tactical gear in his vehicle, according to federal court records.

The FBI said Legnon is part of a self-described radical faction of an extremist group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front.

Legnon allegedly planned an attack in New Orleans, according to the FBI. He was referenced, though not named, during an FBI press conference Monday that detailed the arrests of four members of an alleged terrorist organization tied to a separate New Year’s Eve attack plot in Los Angeles.

“It’s extremely disturbing to find out that someone from Louisiana was arrested for his role in planning an attack on federal immigration enforcement agents in New Orleans,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said.

Social media evidence leads to federal charge

The charge against Legnon stems from social media posts and communications that federal agents said show he committed a federal crime.

Evidence includes a social media message allegedly shared by Legnon that said it was “time to recreate” the massacre in Waco, Texas.

A February 1993 raid by federal authorities on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco resulted in the deaths of four Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and, after a 51-day siege, 76 members of the religious cult.

Additionally, Legnon allegedly shared a video featuring tactical gear with the caption “just in case” and offered to train radical group members for combat. The department placed Legnon on administrative leave in May 2022 and he resigned in September 2022.

A spokesperson for the New Iberia Police Department said Legnon joined the agency in August 2019 after being honorably discharged from the military.

Expert analysis on investigation methods

Former Secret Service agent Donald Lane said federal authorities likely received a tip that led them to investigate Legnon’s online communications and begin wiretapping efforts.

“It’s extremely valuable that people speak up if they get communications where someone, or a group of people, is threatening to harm other human beings,” Lane said.

Lane explained that federal agents work with companies and their security personnel to legally obtain communications during such investigations.

Preventing potential violence

Lane said federal authorities likely prevented further violence by arresting Legnon.

“When you start referencing extremely violent activities that have happened, the intimation there is that you’re going to create the same type of bodily harm and death to the entity or persons that you’re referring to,” Lane said.

Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist who has studied terrorism since 9/11, said social media contributes to terror threats.

“People who are like-minded are able to get together on the internet and sort of goad each other into thinking that an attack is a great idea,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman also emphasized the significance of stopping Legnon before any potential attack.

“It’s very significant that Micah Legnon was stopped,” she said. “People may think like, ‘Oh, that’s just one guy, and he had some rifles at home and some ammunition, but it was no big deal.’ It is a big deal.”

Legnon is being held in the Iberia Parish Jail. It’s unclear when he will appear in federal court for the Western District of Louisiana.