'Hardcore leftist,' Antifa supporter arrested by FBI for allegedly plotting violent confrontation with pro-Trump demonstrators at FL state Capitol



The FBI arrested an alleged Antifa supporter who described himself as a "hardcore leftist" for allegedly plotting a violent confrontation with supporters of President Donald Trump who were expected to demonstrate at the Florida state Capitol in the run-up to Joe Biden's inauguration.

What are the details?

Daniel Alan Baker — who took part in several anti-police protests around the country last year, including in Seattle's CHOP — was arrested Friday, Fox News reported. Baker also claimed he's a trained sniper, the cable network added.

BREAKINGDaniel Alan Baker, an Antifa extremist who fought with the YPG (a designated terror org in Syria) and was… https://t.co/Y64l05piS9
— AntifaWatch (@AntifaWatch)1610742196.0

According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Baker was featured in an October Webflow article titled, "The Fall of CHOP." In it, Baker describes himself as a "hardcore leftist" who traveled to Seattle to participate in "The Revolution." The article added that Baker "seemed disappointed in the lack of violent opposition" at CHOP and reportedly said, "I told them, if they really wanted a revolution, we needed to get AKs and start making bombs. No one listened to me."

Prosecutors added that Baker also is a former airborne infantryman with reported ties to a foreign terrorist group, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. More from the paper:

"Baker issued a call to arms for like-minded individuals to violently confront protesters gathered at the Florida Capitol this Sunday," federal prosecutors said. "He specifically called for others to join him in encircling any protesters and confining them at the Capitol complex using firearms."

On Thursday, Baker posted an 18-second video on his YouTube channel showing him print out fliers with the headline, "CALL TO ARMS JANUARY 20TH!"

The flier said "armed racists" planted the Confederate flag in the U.S. Capitol and that they would continue to wage an armed coup of every statehouse in the country, including the Capitol in Tallahassee.

"We need ALL FLORIDA RESIDENTS to RISE UP!" the flier said. "Here in Florida we must circle the terrorists who attack the Capitol! Let them take the capitol and fight with the cops. SURROUND THEM AND TRAP THEM INSIDE."

The flier said "Tally residents," including combat veterans, have "answered the call to arms."

In the days prior to his arrest, Baker, 33, was trying to buy additional firearms, including an AK-47 and a pistol, Fox News said, citing prosecutors. He's also made multiple violent threats to those he claims are white supremacists, fascists, and U.S. citizens and allies with different ideologies fro his, the cable network said, adding that he's also promoted killing U.S. military officers.

More from Fox News:

After approximately one year in the U.S. Army, Baker received an "other-than-honorable" discharge in 2007 after he went AWOL before his unit was to deploy to Iraq, according to the criminal complaint. He was homeless for nearly a decade living mostly in the Tallahassee area, and, in 2017, Baker joined the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group fighting in Syria against ISIS and the Turkish government.

He 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, prosecutors said. YPG is a sub-affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated by the United States government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Alleged Capitol rioter admits 'Wow, you are pretty good' after getting busted by feds, authorities say



An Illinois man recently arrested for his alleged involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week admitted to federal agents, "Wow, you are pretty good" after they surprised him by producing incriminating evidence, court papers show.

What are the details?

Kevin James Lyons, 40, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds as part of the riots on Jan. 6, according to a criminal complaint filed this week.

Federal agents reportedly first became aware of Lyons' participation in the Capitol breach when they discovered a post on his Instagram account showing a route he planned to use to drive from Chicago to Washington, D.C. The caption for the post read, "I refuse to tell my children that I sat back and did nothing. I'm heading to DC to STOP THE STEAL! #MAGA #KAG."

According to an affidavit, agents then discovered a subsequent, since-deleted post on the Instagram account displaying a picture of a door sign outside the office of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.).

The sign said "Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi," and the picture was captioned, "WHOS HOUSE?!?!? OUR HOUSE!!"

When agents interviewed Lyons in Chicago on Jan. 8, he allegedly acknowledged he was in D.C. during the riot but was "evasive" about whether he had entered the Capitol.

He stated that he "100% guaranteed, without incriminating himself" that he saw nothing being damaged before explaining that in a dream, "He saw a lot of banging on doors, paper being throwing [sic] about, and a mob of people," adding that "people really didn't have much choice of where they were going because of the mob ... [and] if he were inside, he was inside for approximately 45 minutes."

Then, when Lyons was shown the photo placing him outside the speaker's office, he allegedly responded, "Wow, you are pretty good, that was up for only an hour."

Lyons allegedly acknowledged that the same photo was still on his phone's camera roll and showed agents his phone.

What else?

Lyons was released on a $10,000 recognizance bond Wednesday, local Chicago outlet WFLD-TV reported. Among the conditions of his release, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes ordered him to have no contact with anyone else involved in the Capitol breach or anyone planning further riots.

Lyons is just one of more than 30 individuals who have been charged so far as a result of the Capitol breach, according to Justice Department records.