Was Alex Pretti on DHS database as domestic terrorist? Minneapolis nurse and observer and activist had his rib broken just days before in an earlier confrontation amid concerns protesters are being targeted and their names kept in a ‘domestic terrorist’ file.
Digging down the rabbit hole… A new report has revealed that Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis nurse fatally gunned down at the hands of DHS federal agents over the weekend had a rib broken following a previous confrontation with officers just days earlier.
The revelation comes following the release of a new report describing Federal immigration officers collecting personal information about protesters and agitators in Minneapolis and documenting details about the 37-year-old ICU nurse before he was shot to death on Saturday.
Minneapolis nurse gunned down by DHS federal agents was on their radar
It is unclear how Pretti first came to the attention of federal authorities, but sources told CNN that about a week before his death, he suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to detain other individuals.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that ‘DHS law enforcement has no record of this incident.’
A memo sent earlier this month to agents temporarily assigned to the city asked them to ‘capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors, etc., so we can capture it all in one consolidated form,’ according to correspondence reviewed by CNN.
Pretti’s previous encounter is another reflection of the seemingly aggressive approach federal agents are taking with observers and protesters – a philosophy underscored by the request for agents to collect information about protesters, despite such activities protected by the First Amendment.
DHS in its defense has warned of threats against federal law enforcement officers during immigration enforcement operations—and criticized protesters who they argue are impeding those operations. On Tuesday, the department also publicized an online tip form to share information about people allegedly harassing ICE officers.
BREAKING: ICE Attacker Alex Pretti Had A Physical Altercation With ICE And Broke His Rib Just A Week Before He Was Shot and Killed.
He was tackled for impeding operations, and a week later he showed up with a loaded weapon to attack federal law enforcement.
He had a history… pic.twitter.com/63jFO5TJON
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 27, 2026
A violent agitator breaking the law? Or a demonstrator exercising first amendment rights?
‘When our law enforcement encounter a violent agitator who is breaking the law, obstructing law enforcement or assaulting them, our law enforcement make records to advance prosecution. This is not ground breaking, it is standard protocol,’ said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
The earlier incident according to CNN started when Pretti stopped his car after observing ICE agents chasing what he described as a family on foot, and began shouting and blowing his whistle, according to an un-named source.
Pretti later told the source that five agents tackled him and one leaned on his back, leading to him suffering a broken rib. The agents quickly released him at the scene.
‘That day, he thought he was going to die,’ the source revealed.
Pretti was later given medication consistent with treating a broken rib.
Was Alex Pretti known to agents on the ground on the day of shooting?
The revelations come following an earlier report this month involving a DHS official in Minneapolis sending a memo to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations officers assigned to the state on temporary duty asking them to use a form to input information on protesters and agitators.
The form — titled ‘intel collection non-arrests’ — allows agents to fill in personal information of agitators and protesters who they encounter. It’s not clear whether other agencies in Minnesota are also using the form.
While Pretti’s name was known to federal agents, it remained unclear whether the new intake form was used to share his information.
It’s also not clear whether the federal agents who encountered Pretti on Saturday recognized him before they confronted him – eventually wrestling him to the ground, taking a gun from his waistband and then fatally shooting him.
Some Trump officials have spoken publicly about the idea of creating a database of protesters, though it’s not clear what ICE has done with the information collected through the form circulated to agents in Minneapolis.
ICE agent asked why he’s taking pictures of a legal observer’s car, replies: “Cuz we have a nice little database and now you’re considered a domestic terrorist. So have fun with that.” pic.twitter.com/IbyRqycSc2
— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 Compliant) (@kenklippenstein) January 23, 2026
Is DHS earmarking demonstrators as ‘domestic terrorists’?
On Sunday, a DHS spokeswoman denied the agency was compiling a database of what it decried, ‘domestic terrorists’ after a video in Maine showed a federal agent recording the license plate of a woman observing him during an operation and telling her, ‘We have a nice little database and now you are considered a domestic terrorist.’
The video’s existence led to concern of it being the latest example of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeling anyone who engages in First Amendment–protected activity opposing the Trump administration‘s mass deportation program as a ‘domestic terrorist’ and suggesting they’ll be subject to federal investigations.
Responding to the Maine episode, McLaughlin insisted otherwise, telling CNN, ‘There is NO database of ‘domestic terrorists’ run by DHS. We do of course monitor and investigate and refer all threats, assaults and obstruction of our officers to the appropriate law enforcement. Obstructing and assaulting law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime.’
In her statement to CNN on Tuesday, she reiterated that there is no DHS database.
On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel appearing on a conservative podcaster, Benny Johnson‘s show that the agency was investigating Signal group chats used by observers to share information about ICE activities, warning that people cannot ‘create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm’s way.’
On Tuesday, DHS announced it was launching an investigation into a US citizen ‘who attempted to purchase a firearm on two separate occasions,’ allegedly stated she wanted to ‘protect herself from ICE Agents, and also to kill ICE Agents.’
