Man who fired on ICE facility hated US government, sought to kill federal agents, officials say

DALLAS (AP) — The gunman who opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas hated the U.S. government and wanted to incite terror by killing federal agents, officials said Thursday, offering the first hint of a motive in the attack.

Citing handwritten notes found at his suburban home, authorities said 29-year-old Joshua Jahn set out to ambush the agency and then fatally shot himself following the assault.

The shooting at daybreak Wednesday targeted the ICE office building, including a van in a gated entryway that held detainees. One detainee was killed, and two others were critically wounded. No ICE personnel were hurt.

Jahn “specifically intended to kill ICE agents," firing at vehicles carrying ICE personnel, federal agents and detainees. "He also fired multiple shots in the windows of the office building where numerous ICE employees do their jobs every day,” said Joseph Rothrock, agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas field office.”

Jahn's notes indicated "that he did not expect to survive this event,” Rothrock said. “He wanted to cause terror.”

The gunman, who authorities said fired indiscriminately from a nearby rooftop, was involved in a “high degree of pre-attack planning,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on the social platform X.

Patel quoted a note that said: “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?” The note used an apparent abbreviation for armor-piercing bullets.

The attack happened as heightened immigration enforcement has generated a backlash against ICE agents and stirred fear in immigrant communities across the country.

The assailant appeared to have acted alone. Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said investigators discovered the notes at Jahn's residence. Another note said, “Yes, it was just me.” Other notes were sharply critical of ICE agents and indicated he hoped to avoid hurting any detainees.

Investigators have not found that the gunman was a member of any particular group or entity, Larson said. And while he broadly wrote about hatred of the federal government, he did not mention any federal agencies other than ICE, she said.

The gunman had also downloaded a document titled “Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management” containing a list of Homeland Security facilities, Patel said.

Hours before the shooting, the assailant conducted multiple internet searches for ballistics information and video of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Utah university campus this month, Patel said. Last month, the man searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents, he added.

On Wednesday, Patel posted a photo on social media showing a bullet found at the scene with “ANTI-ICE” written on it. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered more security at ICE facilities across the U.S., according to a post by the DHS on X.

The ICE facility is along Interstate 35 East, just southwest of Dallas Love Field, a large airport serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and blocks from hotels.

Jahn was seen driving into the area about 3 a.m. with a large ladder on top of his vehicle, Larson said. The ladder is believed to have been used to climb to the roof of a nearby building.

The gunfire started around 6:30 a.m., Larson said. Shots were sprayed along the length of the ICE facility, into the windows and into the van, she said.

Jahn legally obtained the bolt-action rifle used in the shooting in August, Rothrock said.

He “also acknowledged the potential for other casualties,” Rothrock said. “He knew with a high likelihood ICE detainees would be transported that morning in the exact location where he was facing from his perch” atop the roof.

Following ICE procedures, the detainees were restrained inside the van, said Marcos Charles, field office director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE.

“Under gunfire, multiple federal agents ran into that fire to remove these individuals and to attempt to render lifesaving aid under the most dire circumstances,” Rothrock said.

Authorities have not released the names of the victims.

Noah Jahn described his brother as “unique” and told NBC News that the anti-ICE messages were surprising.

“He didn’t have strong feelings about ICE as far as I knew,” Noah Jahn said. “He wasn’t interested in politics on either side as far as I knew.”

He said the two grew up about 30 miles away in Allen, Texas, and that his brother took an interest in coding but was unemployed. Noah Jahn said he last saw his brother two weeks ago at their parents’ house and that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

A spokesperson for Collin College in nearby McKinney, said via email that a Joshua Jahn studied there “at various times” between 2013 and 2018.

In late 2017, Jahn drove cross-country to work a minimum-wage job harvesting marijuana for several months, said Ryan Sanderson, owner of a legal cannabis farm in Washington state.

Noem noted a recent uptick in targeting of ICE agents.

On July 4, attackers in black, military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, federal prosecutors said. One police officer was wounded. At least 11 people have been charged in connection with the attack.

Days later, a man with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents leaving a Border Patrol facility in McAllen. The man, identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, injured a responding police officer before authorities shot and killed him.

Williams reported from Detroit. Associated Press journalists Jack Brook in New Orleans; Mike Balsamo in New York; Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; and Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge, FBI Dallas, responds to questions during a news conference at a U.S. Attorney's office Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

FBI agents investigate the crime scene near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

FBI agents investigate the crime scene near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Homeland security personnel sit in their vehicles in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

People who had appointments at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office are turned away after a reported shooting in the facility in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Law enforcement agents search a vehicle near the scene of a shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

FBI agents look around a home in Fairview, Texas, that public records link to a suspected gunman at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Law enforcement agents look around the roof of a building near the scene of a shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Law enforcement gather at a staging area close to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office after a reported shooting, in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A law enforcement agents search a vehicle near the scene of a shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Law enforcement agents investigate the roof of an apartment building near the scene of a shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Law enforcement agents look around the roof of a building near the scene of a shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Edwin Cardona, left, who had an appointment at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, stands with his wife Arianny Sierra and their sons, after a shooting at the facility, in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country for 40 years, had an early lead Friday in a tense presidential election marred by an internet shutdown, voting delays and opposition allegations of ballot stuffing and detentions by security forces.

Provisional results from half of the polling stations tallied so far showed Museveni with more than 70% of the vote while his main challenger Robert Kyagulanyi, the musician-turned-opposition leader best known as Bobi Wine, had 19%, according to the national electoral commission. Wine asked his supporters to “ignore fake results being announced.”

Activists protesting against the election results so far lit bonfires in the capital, Kampala, on Friday afternoon as the provisional results were being announced. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert urging its citizens to be cautious as security officers were "firing into the air to disperse gatherings".

The 81-year-old Museveni has served the third-longest tenure of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. The aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military, which is led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Wine, who is calling for political change, said he was unable to leave his house and that his polling agents in rural areas were abducted before the voting started, undermining his efforts to prevent alleged electoral offenses such as ballot stuffing.

Wine was hoping to end Museveni's four-decade rule in an election during which the military was deployed and heavy security was posted outside Wine's house near Kampala, the Ugandan capital, after the vote.

“He is a person of interest. He is a contestant,” police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told local broadcaster NBS, suggesting heavy security deployment around Wine’s home was for his own security.

Several people were killed and others were injured in a violent incident in central Uganda that involved supporters of two parliamentary candidates, Rusoke said. He said that more than 20 opposition supporters were arrested.

Rusoke also said police had dispersed a group of “rowdy and riotous youth” in Kawempe, an area of Kampala. Witnesses in Kawempe said they heard gunfire as police in the streets dispersed protesters disputing the victory of a rival parliamentary candidate.

The security forces were a constant presence throughout the election campaign, and Wine said authorities followed him and harassed his supporters, using tear gas against them. He campaigned in a flak jacket and helmet due to his security fears.

Wine wrote Thursday on X that a senior official in his party in charge of Uganda's western region had been arrested. He charged that there was “massive ballot stuffing everywhere.”

Rural Uganda, especially the western part of the country, is a ruling-party stronghold, and the opposition would be disadvantaged by not having polling agents present during vote counting.

To try to improve his chances of winning, Wine had urged his supporters to “protect the vote” by having witnesses document alleged offenses at polling stations, in addition to deploying official polling agents.

Wine faced similar setbacks when he first ran for president five years ago. Museveni took 58% of the vote, while Wine got 35%, according to official results then. Wine said at the time that the election had been rigged in favor of Museveni, who has spoken disparagingly of his rival.

Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station, during the presidential election, in the capital, Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Election officials count ballots after the polls closed for the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

An election official holds up unmarked ballots during the vote count after polls closed for the presidential election, at a polling center in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A political representative speaks as he works to observe and verify the counting of ballots after polls closed in the presidential election at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A supporter of leading opposition candidate Bobi Wine cheers while watching election officials count ballots, after polls closed at a polling station in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)