Just two years ago, Alan Hostetter was the picture of serenity.
It was 2019 when Hostetter, a California yoga instructor, posted a 20-minute video on his YouTube channel titled “Sunset Gong Meditation.”
Now he’s been arrested in connection with the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, joining more than 500 people who have now been charged with contributing to the attack that sought to sow chaos in Washington, D.C.
Hostetter’s transformation from a preacher of “peace and tranquility” to outspoken far-right mouthpiece was fueled by last year’s pandemic-induced lockdowns in California, according to reporting by NPR.
Hostetter’s first pass at activism came last year in San Clemente when he was arrested for protesting chain-link fencing erected by the city to discourage people congregating at the city’s pier. Hostetter grabbed onto the fence and refused to move, forcing police to cut holds in the fence around his hands in order to cuff him.
He was charged in Orange County with resisting and obstructing an officer, refusal to disperse and trespassing. Hostetter pled not guilty and is awaiting his day in court on those indictments.
However, he now has much more pressing legal concerns.
Hostetter was arrested by the FBI five months after the insurrection on four charges including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. He pled not guilty.
While Hostetter posted pictures on Instagram that prove he was outside the Capitol that day, there has been no evidence so far to suggest he actually entered the building.
Free on bail, Hostetter has continued to post videos and make media appearances where he claims he’s the victim of the “Deep State.” He says it was the Deep State that staged the insurrection to give authorities reason to persecute supporters of former President Donald Trump.
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