Trump’s alleged post revealing Obama’s address led to arrest of armed Washington resident near area

Update:

Former President Donald Trump allegedly posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day a man who once lived in the state of Washington was arrested for being near the property with weapons in his van , according to The Associated Press (AP).

Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors said participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, kept two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside a van he had driven cross-country and had been living in. On the day of his arrest June 29, prosecutors said Taranto reposted a Truth Social post from Trump containing what Trump claimed was Obama’s home address.

“We got these losers surrounded!” Taranto wrote in another post on Telegram. “See you in h***, Podesta’s and Obama’s.” Podesta’s refers to John Podesta, the former chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Democratic presidential campaign.

Taranto also told followers on his YouTube live stream that he was looking to get a “good angle on a shot,” according to AP.

Original Story:

A man armed with explosive materials and weapons who once lived in the state of Washington was arrested Thursday in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood where former President Barack Obama lives, law enforcement officials said.

The explosives recovered were materials that could form a device akin to a makeshift Molotov cocktail, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

It is unclear whether the Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, were at the home at the time of his arrest.

The man, 37-year-old Taylor Taranto, also had an active warrant related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, against him. Taranto uploaded videos to his YouTube page showing him inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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Secret Service spotted Taranto within blocks of the Obamas’ home, according to The Associated Press (AP), leading him to flee before being apprehended. Taranto had two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition as well as a machete in his van, a federal prosecutor said Friday, the AP notes.

Taranto has been charged with being a fugitive from justice, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. A department spokesperson said there is no active threat to the community, and the incident remains under investigation.

Court documents unsealed Friday show Taranto is charged with four misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 riots including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

Taranto was ordered to remain behind bars pending a detention hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.

More on the suspect

Taranto, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, previously volunteered as a webmaster for the Republican Party in Franklin County in Central Washington and had recently posted messages about conspiracy theories regarding the Obama residence on Telegram, a social media alternative that identifies itself as a platform for free speech, according to AP. The posts eventually turned into threats, including ones during live streams on social media, alerting U.S. officials to put him on a watch list.

Central Committee Chairman Stephen Bauman told the Tri-City Herald in a statement Friday that Taranto “is no longer an active member of the Franklin County Republicans” and he was officially removed from the webmaster position by party leadership in 2022. He added the committee has “never been involved” in Taranto’s defense.

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Despite some initial reports that Taranto was a Seattle resident, police in Washington, D.C. listed Taranto as “of no fixed address” in a statement sent to the Tri-City Herald and other news outlets.

Public records show Taranto lived in Franklin County in Pasco until recently. Prior to 2010 he lived in Kennewick.

According to CBS News, Taranto had been in the Washington, D.C., area for a couple of months and was even seen camping out in his van near a jail where many of the Jan. 6 defendants are currently held.