A look at the local arrests in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

January 6 2021 Capitol insurrection — FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump climb the West wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. An officer who shot and killed a woman during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as she began to climb through the broken part of a door leading into an area known as the Speaker’s Lobby acted lawfully and in line with police department policy, the U.S. Capitol Police said Monday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A messianic rabbi from Palm Harbor. A vocal teacher who once performed at Carnegie Hall. A one-time Congressional candidate. A former EMT from Polk County. A Plant City resident caught on video beating a police officer with a flagpole. And that guy in the horn helmet carrying Nancy Pelosi’s lectern through the halls of Congress.

Those are just a few of the more than 20 people from the Tampa Bay area arrested for the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol. To date, 72 people have been arrested in Florida in connection with the attack, more than any other state in the country.

Why are so many of these attackers from the Tampa Bay area? Who are they? How were they identified? And are there other threats out there?

WMNF MidPoint hosts Janet Scherberger and Rochelle Reback dove into it all Wednesday, Oct. 27 on WMNF’s MidPoint with Dan Sullivan, the courts reporter for the Tampa Bay Times who has been covering the arrests and Mike McPherson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa field office. McPherson previously served in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.

You can listen to the entire program here or by searching for WMNF MidPoint wherever you listen to your podcasts.