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.
The sheriff said Smith was spotted across the street from the rally in a parking lot. Deputies said he was running away from the area, dressed in all black with his face covered. He was initially detained on the loitering charge, and deputies reported finding a pipe bomb when they searched his backpack. Another explosive was found during a search of Smith’s home, officials said.
Smith didn’t place or detonate any of the explosives, officials said. Gualtieri said Smith hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, and his political motivations weren’t immediately clear.
Smith was being held on $300,000 bond. Jail records didn’t list an attorney for him.
Read more at: WashingtonTimes.com
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Published: January 7, 2022
By: Kristinn Taylor
The Pinellas County Florida Sheriff announced Friday that a man dressed all in black, wearing a black face covering and carrying a black backpack with an explosive device in it was arrested Thursday night after running from a rally being held to protest the detention of a man on a federal charge related to the January 6 riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The sheriff said the bomb was apparently packed with nails and that another similar suspected nail pipe bomb and “hand grenade type devices” were found at the home where he lives with his parents. A search of the area found no explosives–apparently the suspect fled without trying to employ the device though several M-80s were found in his car parked nearby. The sheriff said the suspect’s intent is not known at this time, he is not talking and is being held on $300,000 bond. The sheriff said Smith’s family is cooperating with investigators.
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Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told reporters the man arrested with the bomb, 22-year-old Garrett Smith, has a clean record, describing him as a “sleeper” with no arrests and no apparent social media presence but that he had recently been in Portland, Oregon and had a helmet with logos seen at protests in Portland, but the sheriff was not sure if he was Antifa or on the other side. The sheriff said Smith was not cooperating but had a “direct action checklist” on him listing clothing, body protection to wear and a long list of gear to carry including a laser pointer, flammable rags and pepper spray.
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