Assistant Principal and Brother Arrested After Plotting to Kill ICE Agents and Police Officers

An assistant high school principal and his brother were arrested after allegedly plotting to attack police officers and ICE agents in Las Vegas, federal officials said.

John and Mark Bennett were taken into custody after an off-duty police officer overheard them discussing the scheme on November 17, authorities said.

According to a Department of Homeland Security statement, Mark Bennett had allegedly planned to buy firearms with explosive rounds to carry out attacks on ICE agents. A criminal complaint obtained by WTKR states that the pair were overheard at a restaurant in Virginia Beach talking about how ICE agents were “kidnapping individuals” and that they “needed to do something about it.”

Mark Bennett was arrested two days later at Norfolk International Airport while preparing to travel to Las Vegas, where he reportedly planned to meet with like-minded individuals to discuss “enforcement ideas and plans.”

John Bennett, the assistant principal at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, was arrested in the city and was immediately placed on leave by the school district.

Both men are facing one count of conspiracy to commit malicious wounding. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the plot “chilling,” highlighting that the brothers had allegedly discussed obtaining rifles capable of piercing bulletproof vests.

“It’s alarming that a human being, much less a child educator, would plan to ambush and kill ICE law enforcement officers,” McLaughlin said. “Thanks to Homeland Security Investigations and our partners, these men are behind bars.”

Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate called the alleged plot “incredibly alarming” and credited the collaboration between law enforcement agencies with preventing the attack and keeping the public safe.

The arrests come amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts nationwide, including deployments of the National Guard to major cities to assist ICE agents, following increased tensions and recent violent incidents targeting law enforcement.