Police and FBI warn of possible attack on Capitol Hill this Thursday

Law enforcement officials have warned that a militia group may be plotting to attack the US Capitol on Thursday, a day linked to conspiracy theories that March 4 is the “real day of inauguration.”

“We have obtained intelligence information which shows a possible plot to break into the Capitol by a group of identified militias on Thursday March 4”U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Wednesday. “We take intelligence seriously.”

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published a joint extremist intelligence bulletin on Tuesday evening discussing the carrying out of attacks on the Capitol from March 4 to 6Melissa Smislova, a senior national security official, told two Senate committees on Wednesday.

The police warning did not provide details, citing the “sensitivity of this information” which comes two months after an attack on the Capitol. by extremist supporters of then-President Donald Trump, which left a balance of at least five dead. The Capitol Police and the Federal Police were criticized for failing to act faster on the basis of intelligence information indicating the January 6 protests could turn violent.

The warning is surprising because it occurs a day after Acting Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett told lawmakers Capitol Police had no indication that groups would be heading to Washington to protest or commit violence..

However, Blodgett noted that there will be increased security on Thursday due to unsubstantiated conspiracies circulating among extremist groups.

Alaina Gertz, spokesperson for the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), said that “the MPD does not discuss operational tactics. However, We will continue to monitor and evaluate information in collaboration with our local and federal partners to ensure public safety.“.

As a sign of persistent tensions in the American capital, some 5,000 National Guard troops remain deployed in Washington after the January 6 riots. Pentagon officials say they plan to retire at the end of next week, unless you are asked to stay. Also, the Capitol park stay surrounded by tall barbed wire fences with limited access points, a perimeter that was established after the January 6 attack.

The latest alerts follow warnings from US national security officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, that domestic extremists represent the greatest terrorist threat to the country and intend to carry out attacks, especially after the riots, which attempted to halt the ratification of President Joe Biden.

Threat of “metastasis”

“The problem of domestic terrorism has metastasized across the country for a long time and it will not go away anytime soon.”Wray said Tuesday during a Senate hearing. The FBI declined to comment on the Capitol Police’s new threat warning.

March 4 was the official broadcast day for Presidential Command until 1933, when the 20th Amendment to the Constitution designated January 20 as the day a president takes office after an election, according to the Library of Congress. People associated with the far-right conspiratorial movement QAnon have circulated an unsubstantiated claim that Trump will take office on March 4.

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