The Texas Department of Public Safety found a “credible” threat to attack the Capitol on Thursday, the agency confirmed in an email.
DPS said the threat was initiated by Benny Caldera Jr., 40, and several co-conspirators who had planned to carry out a “violent attack” on Oct. 1. DPS said they worked with the FBI and local law enforcement to arrest Caldera at his residence in Converse, a city just outside San Antonio, around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Caldera was transported to the Bexar County Jail and charged with felony terroristic threat against a public servant, DPS said. A $75,000 bond has been set for Caldera, according to county documents.
Caldera has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon in Bexar County in 2023 and 2024, according to county documents.
The news was first shared in a memo to members of the Texas Senate. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said there is “speculation that there are other conspirators,” but no one else has been charged.
“They don’t know anything about motive, who, what, when, where, yet,” Bettencourt said. “Literally, just within a few hours of the tip they had the potential perpetrator in custody.”
DPS said its investigation into the threat is ongoing and that it will continue to have an increased presence at the Capitol.
KUT’s Neena Satija and Andrew Weber contributed to this report.