Overview
- Law enforcement arrested 40-year-old Benny Caldera Jr. at about 3 a.m. Wednesday after the Texas Department of Public Safety said it received credible information that an individual planned a violent attack on the Texas State Capitol for Oct. 1.
- DPS Criminal Investigations agents worked with the FBI and local partners and used a DPS SWAT team to make the arrest, and officials say the investigation remains active with operational details withheld.
- DPS notified state lawmakers, the Capitol has stayed open under an increased security posture, and Gov. Greg Abbott thanked DPS and the FBI for stopping the alleged plot.
- Caldera was booked on a reported $75,000 bond and multiple outlets say county records show he posted bond and was released with GPS monitoring, and court documents cited in reporting include an alleged statement to a friend that he intended to “shoot it up,” a detail treated as reported rather than fully verified by authorities.
- Authorities are urging the public to report suspicious activity through iWatchTexas as investigators continue to probe possible co-conspirators and any further threat to visitors, staff, and lawmakers at the Capitol.