Man Plotted Attack On Pro-Trump Backers At Florida Capitol: DOJ

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A former U.S. Army soldier faces federal charges for threatening to attack protestors outside the Florida state capitol on Jan. 10, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Daniel Baker of Tallahassee was arrested after issuing “a call to arms for like-minded individuals to violently confront protestors gathered” at the state Capitol last Sunday, the DOJ said. He used social media to share his plans to violently disrupt protests planned through Inauguration Day.

FBI agents, working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Tallahassee Police Department, arrested Baker Friday morning.

The FBI previously issued a bulletin warning of armed protests of far-right extremists in all 50 state capitols — including Tallahassee — as well as the U.S. Capitol from Jan. 15 leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration as the 46th president on Wednesday. The bulletin was issued following the Jan. 6 riots protesting Biden’s confirmation at the U.S. Capitol building.

“Extremists intent on violence from either end of the political and social spectrums must be stopped, and they will be stopped,” Lawrence Keefe, United States attorney for the Northern District of Florida said. “The diligent work in this case by the FBI and other public safety organizations has averted a crisis with this arrest, and we will not stop in our efforts to detect, deter, and disrupt anyone else planning to incite or commit violence.”

Baker, a former U.S. Army Airborne infrantryman who was kicked out of the service, has a history of expressing his belief in violent tactics, the DOJ said. After about one year in the Army, he received an other-than-honorable discharge in 2007 after he went absent without leave before his unit was to deploy to Iraq.

In 2017, he joined the People’s Protection Units, a group fighting in Syria against ISIS and the Turkish government, the DOJ said. Baker claimed on social media that he was a trained sniper for the YPG, and he can be seen in a documentary film fighting ISIS and Turkish militants.

YPG is a sub-affiliate of the Kurdistan’s Working Party, which is designated by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization.

Baker can be seen in photos and YouTube videos with a variety of firearms, including those with high-capacity magazines. Social media posts also show that he was recently attempting to purchase additional firearms, the DOJ said.