Sheriff’s Office forms task force to combat right-wing terrorists

SAN JOSE » The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday announced it is forming a task force to combat right-wing terrorists.

The task force is being formed in light of the proPresident Donald Trump mob takeover of the U.S. Capitol Building last week and the heightened level of security leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The Sheriff’s Office said the task force will be comprised of deputies, detectives and other law enforcement personnel and will investigate any right-wing terrorists who intend to harm public officials, destroy government facilities or put the community at risk.

The task force also plans to collaborate with the FBI and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center on investigations, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“The Santa Clara County

Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to the preservation of public safety and the protection of constitutional rights,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the release. “We have zero tolerance for violence and terrorism in our community and value our partnership with the community to achieve this goal.”

An internal FBI bulletin warned, as of Sunday, that armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitals as well as in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Associated Press reported Monday. Investigators believe some of the people are members of extremist groups.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information related to radical right-wing terrorists who pose a threat or intend to pose a threat to public safety in Santa Clara County to either call its anonymous tip line at 408808-4431 or its public line at 408-808-4400.