ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida man with homemade explosive devices was arrested early Friday near a Tampa Bay area rally in support of a man being held in connection with last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
Garrett James Smith, 22, of Oldsmar, was arrested and charged with making and possessing a destructive device and loitering, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a news conference.
To mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the rally was held Thursday night outside the Pinellas County Jail was in support of Jeremy Brown, a member of the rightwing Oath Keepers group. He was being held on charges of participating in the riot.
So what was his target? Was he going to attack the protesters or the police? They don’t seem to have much information on him.