An 18‑year‑old man from St. Helens, Oregon, has been charged under the state’s domestic terrorism statute after authorities say he planned an armed attack targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Portland area. Court filings allege that Rayden Tanner Coleman acquired or sought weapons, including an AR‑style rifle and Molotov cocktails, and developed a manifesto outlining a plan to kill ICE agents and use a hatchet to decapitate them, details that prompted prosecutors to pursue one of the first domestic terrorism charges under Oregon’s 2023 law. 

According to court documents, concerns first arose after Coleman’s roommates reported alarming statements about recruiting others by displaying severed heads and planned violence against federal officers. Investigators say the affidavit detailed Coleman’s intent to attack ICE agents and described his efforts to obtain firearms and incendiary devices, though some devices seized were not yet functional at the time of arrest. 

The domestic terrorism statute under which Coleman is charged is designed to address acts intended to cause serious injury, death, or disruption of critical services through violent action. Oregon Revised Statutes define domestic terrorism in the second degree to include attempts to inflict death or serious harm, and prosecutors determined the alleged plot met that threshold, elevating the investigation to felony charges beyond standard weapons or assault counts. 

Coleman entered a not‑guilty plea in court following his arrest, and the case is moving through the legal process as prosecutors seek to hold him accountable under the state’s domestic terrorism framework. Officials have underscored that while individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the nature of the allegations reflects a serious threat to public safety and federal personnel. 

The incident has drawn attention amid ongoing debates over federal immigration enforcement and public protest activity in Portland, a city that has seen heightened tensions around ICE operations in recent months. While law enforcement agencies work to prevent extremist violence, cases involving domestic terrorism statutes continue to raise questions about detection, intervention, and legal definitions of threats posed by individuals motivated by extreme views.