Washington police ‘asked for heat ray to use on protesters’

US AUTHORITIES sought to acquire a heat ray weapon before clearing a peaceful protest in Lafayette Square in Washington, according to a National Guard officer.

Military police allegedly asked the National Guard if they had an “Active Denial System” (ADS) that fires out highpowered waves of energy, causing a painful burning sensation on the skin.

Major Adam Demarco made his claim in a letter to the House of Representatives in August in response to follow-up questions after he testified before a House committee in June.

The request for a heat ray was made as local law enforcement sought to clear protesters gathered in Lafayette Square on June 1 following the death of George Floyd. Donald Trump, the US president, had ordered that the crowds be cleared so he could conduct a photo opportunity holding a Bible outside a nearby church.

The contents of the letter were first reported by National Public Radio in the US. In it, Maj Demarco said that the defence department’s head military police officer for the National Capitol

Region emailed him to ask if the DC National Guard had the ADS.

The National Guard did not possess the device, and it was not used.

Most people are capable of enduring about three seconds of direct targeting before they reach their pain threshold. However, the radiation burns cause no long-term damage.

Maj Demarco also said that the DC National Guard was the recipient of a

‘There is nothing “routine” about inquiring about the availability of a heat ray to use against US citizens’

weapons transfer of about “7,000 rounds of ammunition” on the afternoon of the protest.

A defence department official told The Washington Post that the request on weapons availability was “routine”.

But Maj Demarco’s lawyer David Laufman denied this, saying: “There is nothing ‘routine’ about inquiring about the availability of a heat ray to use against American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.”