The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida has announced the arrest of a Tallahassee man for threating violence against protestors who come to the state capitol Sunday.
Daniel Alan Baker’s plan to confront people comes the same day as the FBI has warned of protests planned for all 50 state capitols from supporters of President Donald Trump. The protests come a week after protestors staged an violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol amid false claims that the presidential election was stolen.
The 33-year-old Baker is being charged with making threats to kidnap or injure protestors. The criminal complaint says he used social media to try to get others to join him.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says Baker was a feature at social justice protests over the summer, including in Seattle where he participated in the CHOP or CHAZ—when protestors managed to run off police and occupy a Seattle neighborhood for several weeks.
The criminal complain says Baker is a self-proclaimed anarchist who was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2007 after going AWOL before being deployed to Iraq. The complaint says he traveled to Syria in 2017 and joined a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Government. Baker also appeared in a VICE News documentary while fighting ISIS or Turkish militants in a YouTube video.
Law enforcement agencies in Tallahassee are on alert ahead of the planned protests Sunday. Florida Capitol Police issued a statement today acknowledging it is aware of the FBI memo waring of possible violence at the capitol and is monitoring the situation.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey is asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to deploy National Guard troops around the Capitol for the weekend and beyond.
"I certainly hope there's no violence this weekend or leading up to next week. But hope is not a plan. We have to be prepared and we have to remain vigilant," Dailey said.
