Tallahassee mayor calls for National Guard troops to boost Capitol security

(The Center Square) – Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey asked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday to call out the National Guard this weekend after the FBI arrested a local man for calling for violence in confronting President Donald Trump supporters during an expected rally Sunday at the state Capitol complex.

“Call up and deploy Florida’s National Guard troops now to ensure we do not see a repeat of Jan. 6 right here in Tallahassee,” Dailey asked the governor during a news conference.

About 600 Florida National Guardsmen are headed to Washington to augment security but, as of Friday, none are designated for Tallahassee.

Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe on Friday announced the arrest of Daniel Baker, 33, for inciting violence against participants at a planned Stop the Steal rally Sunday in Tallahassee.

Law enforcement officials are on alert for agitators after Monday’s FBI warning that armed protests were planned in Washington and at all 50 state capitals before and during President-elect Joe Biden‘s inauguration Wednesday.

“With the clearly expressed threat being state capitals, and with the news today that a Tallahassee man has been arrested by federal law enforcement for issuing a call to arms for like-minded individuals to violently confront protesters gathered at the Florida Capitol on Sunday, I believe that more resources are necessary,” Dailey said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Capitol Police, Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) and Leon County Sheriff’s Office said they are prepared for expected pro-Trump rallies Sunday through Wednesday.

None of the agencies reported any threats to the Capitol, although former Orange County Trump Campaign chairperson Randy Ross warned this week of “bad actors again attempting to organize” in Tallahassee and asked Trump supporters not to attend.

The Capitol complex will be shuttered, with lawmakers and staff working remotely.

TPD Chief of Police Lawrence Revel assured the Tallahassee City Council this week his department has ramped up and is coordinating with the FBI, FDLE, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Florida State University police and the Consolidated Dispatch Agency.

”We are prepared. We’ve canceled days off for all of our officers starting Saturday and that will go through Thursday of next week,” Revel said.

After last week’s U.S. Capitol seizure, Keefe vowed federal prosecutors aggressively would go after those making threats of violence.

“Extremists intent on violence from either end of the political and social spectrums must be stopped, and they will be stopped,” Keefe said in a statement. “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.”

According to the criminal complaint, Baker encouraged others to join his plan to encircle and confine protesters using firearms where they’d be murdered or kidnapped.

The complaint stated Baker has a “history of expressing his belief in violent tactics” and teaches how to “incapacitate and debilitate law enforcement officers” on YouTube. He is described by as “anti-Trump, anti-government, anti-white supremacist and anti-police.”

Baker, issued a less-than-honorable discharge after serving one year in the Army, was a volunteer in the People’s Protection Units, a nonstate group fighting in Syria against ISIS and the Turkish government. His YouTube channel features video of his Syria combat experience.

“This arrest serves as a message to anyone who intends to incite or commit violence in the Northern District of Florida: If you represent a threat to public safety, we will come for you, we will find you, and we will prosecute you,” Keefe said. “

Baker made his initial appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles A. Stampelos. He faces federal charges involving communications containing threats to kidnap or injure. He remains in Leon County Jail.

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