To See the Danger of a Domestic “War on Terror,” Look No Further Than This Florida Case
Convinced his state capitol was set to be attacked by violent, far-right extremists, a Florida man called for armed resistance on social media and was promptly jailed. The episode is a case study of how easily a domestic "war on terror" will be turned on the Left.

Law enforcement officers walk out of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building on January 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)
In the wake of January’s pro-Trump protest-turned-riot at the Capitol, some have warned of the dangers of a “war on terror”–style response to the episode, and how easily it could be turned against a host of activists, dissidents, and marginalized communities. A recent criminal case out of Florida shows these warnings are not just theoretical.
On January 15, in Tallahassee, the FBI arrested thirty-three-year-old Daniel Alan Baker, a veteran and self-described “hardcore leftist” who had traveled the country last year participating in protests against police brutality. Described by various news outlets as involved in a “Florida Capitol plot” or plotting an attack on Trump supporters, Baker has been slapped with federal charges and denied bail on the grounds that he’s a flight risk.
“Extremists intent on violence from either end of the political and social spectrums must be stopped, and they will be stopped,” said US attorney Larry Keefe. “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.”