Bondi gloats over arrest of protester who stormed Minneapolis church

The arrest came the same day that a magistrate judge declined to sign off on the arrest of commentator Don Lemon, who was among the intruders to the worship service.

Published: January 22, 2026 2:15pm

Updated: January 22, 2026 2:15pm

Attorney General Pam Bondi gloated on social media Thursday over the arrest of an agitator who stormed a Minneapolis church after her dared her to do so and bring charges.

Bondi posted a video of Kelly admitting to storming the church and criticizing the pastor's involvement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in which he dared the Department of Justice to bring charges against him.

"Ok," was Bondi's response on X, which was accompanied by a green check mark. In a follow up post, she confirmed that "William Kelly is now in custody."

"Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution. Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country. We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith," she said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Kelly will face charges for conspiracy to deprive rights.

The arrest came the same day that a magistrate judge declined to sign off on the arrest of commentator Don Lemon, who was among the intruders to the worship service.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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