SPLC lawyer charged in Atlanta 'Cop City' attack

An attorney with the Southern Poverty Lawyer Center is facing domestic terrorism charges for his alleged participation in a violent demonstration against a police training center.

Authorities identified Thomas Webb Jurgens, 28, as one of 23 people arrested during what they call a "coordinated attack" on the facility during which demonstrators allegedly threw incendiaries at the construction site, according to the New York Post.

Jurgens is a staff attorney for the SPLC, a scandal-plagued far left advocacy organization that has long attracted scrutiny for its apparent efforts to label high-profile conservatives such as Dr. Ben Carson as domestic extremists.

The group has also struggled to recover from allegations against co-founder Morris Dees by former employees who allege he was complicit in racial discrimination at the center.

Dubbed "Cop City," the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center remains under construction. Jurgens is reportedly just one of two out of the 23 alleged participants facing domestic terrorism charges who actually comes from Georgia while the rest come from other parts of the U.S. and other countries, including France and Canada.

Photos of the incident showed that the demonstrators succeeded in setting much of the construction equipment ablaze. A total of 35 demonstrators were arrested during the incident.

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp excoriated the attackers and vowed to pursue justice against them for the assault on the facility construction site.

"As I've said before, domestic terrorism will NOT be tolerated in this state," he said in a statement on Sunday. "As we continue to respect peaceful protest, we will also continue to ensure safety in our communities."

"We will not rest until those who use violence and intimidation for an extremist end are brought to full justice," he concluded.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.