Pam Bondi

Let's talk about public sentiment here.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the names of all 16 and many of their photos to social media even before the cases were unsealed, drawing a sharp rebuke from a federal judge.

Twelve of the defendants made their initial court appearances Wednesday and were freed after prosecutors declined to seek detention.

Defense attorneys call the charges bogus and politically motivated.

U.S.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted the names and photos of the protesters to social media before the cases were unsealed, drawing a sharp rebuke from a federal judge.

The 16 are charged by complaint with obstructing or impeding federal officers.

But defense attorney Kevin Rich says a grand jury must still approve the charges.

One defendant, a Somali-American U.S.

citizen, alleges agents injured her and called her a racial slur while arresting her and questioning her citizenship.

For NPR News, I'm Matt Sepik in Minneapolis.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on X saying she's on the ground in Minneapolis where federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal law enforcement agents.

The arrests include a Twin Cities teaching assistant accused of ramming a federal vehicle two weeks ago in suburban Minneapolis.

Well, he's an online agitator.

That's what he is now.

And sure, if you're a journalist and you're covering a story, that's not what he was doing.

We all know that.

We have the video.

It speaks for itself.

He was in there with all these other people.