FBI warns of possible ‘armed protests’ across U.S. before inauguration
Far-right extremists are calling on Trump supporters to “storm” the U.S. Capitol again and stage “armed protests” at state government buildings across the country in the leadup to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to the FBI.
An internal FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News warns that the armed actions are being planned “at all 50 state capitols” between Jan. 16 and Jan. 20. The U.S. Capitol, which is under tight security since last week’s deadly pro-Trump siege, faces threats of more attacks starting Jan. 17 through Inauguration Day, according to the bulletin.
The FBI memo, which was distributed to state and local law enforcement agencies, said one group has called for a particularly violent “storming” of government buildings if President Donald Trump is removed from office before Biden’s inauguration, as momentum grows on Capitol Hill for impeachment or an invocation of the 25th Amendment.
“They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS ... a huge uprising will occur,” the bulletin reportedly states, using an acronym for the president.
It’s not clear from the bulletin how large the suspected actions will be.
The FBI declined to confirm the existence of the bulletin, but said the bureau is “supporting our state, local and federal law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety” ahead of Biden’s inauguration.
“Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property,” the FBI said.
Over the weekend, a poster circulated on Parler, a social media platform popular with the far-right, that called on followers to orchestrate an “armed march on Capitol Hill & all state capitols” on Jan. 17.
“Refuse to be silenced,” blared the poster, a screengrab of which was obtained by the Daily News before Parler was shut down by its web host late Sunday.
A Parler user who shared the poster captioned it with a hashtag saying “boogaloo” — the name of a white supremacist group that advocates for a second civil war to overthrow the U.S. government.
It was not immediately clear if there’s a specific threat looming over the State Capitol in Albany.
New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said its troopers are ramping up security in Albany in any case and that officials are “in touch with our federal and local partners.”
“Given recent events in Washington and across the country, the New York State Police has, out of an abundance of caution, taken steps to harden security in and around the State Capitol,” Duffy said in a statement. “These restrictions are in place until further notice.”
At least 10,000 National Guard troops will be in Washington by this Saturday to help with security at the U.S. Capitol through Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard, told reporters in a conference call Monday that his agency is also ready to deploy troops to states as needed.
“We’re keeping a look across the entire country to make sure that we’re monitoring, and that our guards in every state are in close coordination with their local law enforcement agencies to provide any support requested,” Hokanson said.
The rumblings of more violence come as House Democrats are pushing full steam ahead to impeach Trump for inciting Wednesday’s assault on the Capitol, which left a police officer and at least four other people dead.