SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment charging a New Braunfels woman with the alleged arson attack, where she is accused of setting fire to the Comal County Republican Party Headquarters. According to the indictment, 22-year-old Grace Carol Brown is charged with actual and attempted malicious damage by fire to property involved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment alleges Brown attempted to set fire to a building that houses two commercial businesses in addition to the county’s GOP headquarters on January 14. Justin R. Simmons, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, announced the indictment on Friday.
Court documents allege Brown broke a window of the building and threw a backpack inside. Brown, according to the indictment, unsuccessfully attempted to enter the building through the broken window and instead decided to set a rolled magazine on fire and throw the burning magazine into the building. The indictment further alleges Brown left a note at the crime scene.
An arson note was left by the suspect in an alleged arson attack on the Texas GOP headquarters building. (Some text blurred by DOJ) (U.S. Department of Justice)
According to authorities, the note allegedly left at the scene by Brown read, “Report this: I burned down the Nazi Party of NB’s office. F%$# DJT F%$# ICE, Liberty or die.” According to investigators, the backpack found inside the building allegedly contained a container of ethanol, two containers of gasoline, a lighter, matches, and other unnamed items. The investigation showed Brown’s writings showed a disdain for the goals and activities of the Comal County Republican Party Headquarters, federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE, and certain Executive Branch officials she referred to in her writings as “Enemies of the U.S. Constitution.”
The note contains a Drei Pfeile symbol (three downward-pointing arrows in a circle) created by the Iron Front in Germany in the 1930s. Today, the symbol is used by Antifa‑aligned activists, anarchist groups, and anti‑fascist protest networks.
Brown was arrested within days of the attack on the GOP office. The New Braunfels Police, Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are conducting the investigation that led to Brown’s arrest. In addition to the federal charges listed in the indictment, Brown faces state charges of burglary and arson.
If convicted on federal charges of actual and attempted malicious damage by fire to property involved in interstate or foreign commerce, Brown could face five to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.