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Suspected Antifa activist busted with pipe bomb, ‘direct action’ plan near Jan. 6 rally, cops say A Florida man suspected of being affiliated with Antifa was busted near a Jan. 6 anniversary rally in Florida carrying a homemade pipe bomb and a detailed plan of “direct action,” authorities said. Garrett James Smith was arrested Thursday — his 22nd birthday — as a local congressman joined more than 80 others at a rally supporting a member of the Oath Keepers being held on Capitol riot charges. Officers chased Smith — who “stuck out” dressed all in black, including a ski mask...

Authorities in Florida arrested 22-year-old Garrett Smith Thursday morning after finding him with a homemade explosive device at a rally in support of a suspect in the January 6 Capitol riot, police said. Describing Smith as a "sleeper," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the incident is particularly worrisome. Detectives said they don't know what Smith intended to do with the explosives. He has no criminal history, there is no intelligence from other agencies and he has no social media... ...He was wearing "all black clothing, a face covering, and carrying a black backpack," according to the sheriff's office... ..Gualtieri...

A man in full black bloc behaving suspiciously near a right-wing rally outside the Pinellas County Courthouse in Florida on Jan. 6 was apprehended by deputies after he tried fleeing on foot. Garrett James Smith, 22, was arrested and found carrying an active pipe bomb, Antifa propaganda and a written document on what to bring for his direct action. He had recently returned from Portland, Ore. "He was running fast, he was running away from something," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a press conference on Friday. Bomb squad investigators from the F.B.I., Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the...

A man in black bloc behaving suspiciously near a right-wing rally outside the Pinellas County Courthouse in Florida on Jan. 6 was apprehended by deputies after he tried fleeing on foot. Garrett James Smith, 22, was arrested and found carrying an active pipe bomb, Antifa propaganda and a written document on what to bring for his direct action. He had recently returned from Portland, Ore. "He was running fast, he was running away from something," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a press conference on Friday. Smith was purportedly targeting dozens of the attendees of a rally protesting the...