Minneapolis Federal Assault Charges Dismissed

Federal felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Operation Metro Surge, were dismissed with prejudice by U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson in United States===Minneapolis. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of United States===Minnesota moved for dismissal after newly discovered evidence contradicted the initial government account of an incident involving a United States===United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The officer had claimed the men attacked him with a snow shovel and broom handle, leading him to fire his handgun and strike Operation Metro Surge. However, eyewitness testimony and video evidence did not corroborate the officer's story. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously accused the men of attempted murder, and her statements are now under question. The United States===Federal Bureau of Investigation has refused to share evidence with state authorities who have opened their own investigation. A third Venezuelan man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Ledezma, was also detained without a warrant and later released.