2025 Athens High School Terrorism Case

On December 4, 2025, Athens police in Athens, Alabama stated that a Limestone County grand jury had indicted Carson Albert Butler, 18, on five counts: terrorism, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Police said Butler had allegedly threatened students and faculty at Athens High School. The indictment alleges that Butler conspired with extremist groups including 764, MKU (Maniac Murder Cult) and No Lives Matter to target several students and staff at the school.¹

Indictment and Arrest

Butler was indicted in November 2025 and served with an arrest warrant on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. He was held in the Limestone County Jail. The indictment states that Butler acted "with the intent to commit the crime of murder [and] attempt to intentionally cause the death of another person … by committing an overt act towards the commission of the crime of murder." The indictment lists five counts and names 11 people as allegedly targeted.¹

Athens police said Butler "made the threats earlier this year" and had been in custody since June 2025, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation informed them of his actions. The lead paragraph of the report on the indictment places the alleged threats "this summer." Police Chief Anthony Pressnell said Butler previously attended Athens High School but was not enrolled at the time of the alleged threat. Athens police contacted school officials immediately because school activities were planned at some campuses over the summer, and provided additional uniformed and undercover officers at campus events. Superintendent Beth Patton and school system staff, Pressnell said, "stayed in constant communication."¹

Charging as an Adult

Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones said he could not comment extensively until an Aniah's Law hearing was held, noting that Butler was 17 at the time of the alleged crimes and turned 18 in November 2025. Jones said: "He was indicted by a grand jury on the five counts and was arrested on that indictment Wednesday. We indicted him under the code section where we can charge anyone 16 and older as an adult." Judge Chad Wise appointed counsel on Thursday and scheduled a court appearance for Friday; the appointed attorney filed an unopposed motion to continue the hearing.¹

The Named Groups

The FBI describes 764 as "modern-day terrorism"; 764 was founded in Texas in 2021 by Bradley Chance Cadenhead, then 15, who is serving an 80-year sentence; and the U.S. Department of Justice has described Maniac Murder Cult as "an international racially motivated violent extremist group" that adheres to an ideology promoting violence intended to trigger a racial and religious war. A Department of Justice press release on a different indictment of the previous month describes 764 members as using social media platforms to support the possession, production and sharing of extreme gore media and child sex abuse material with vulnerable juvenile populations.¹

Later Case in Portland

On October 2, 2026, Multnomah County prosecutors in Portland, Oregon stated in court that the FBI had found references to 764 on the devices of a 15-year-old charged with domestic terrorism over a chemical release at Benson Polytechnic High School; see Benson Polytechnic High School Incident.