The USA Capitol Police is strengthening security this week, warning that intelligence showed a possible conspiracy to violate the Capitol on Thursday, March 4, by an identified militia group. Trump will take power again on March 4, the date that marked the inauguration day for presidents before 1933.
“The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Department is aware of and prepared for potential threats to members of Congress or to the Capitol complex,” USCP said in a statement Wednesday. “We have already made significant security upgrades to include the establishment of a physical structure and increasing manpower to ensure the protection of Congress, the public and our police officers.”
“We take intelligence seriously,” he added. “Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”
In an earlier security bulletin obtained by CBS News, Timothy Blodgett, the sergeant at the weapons, instructed that his office work closely with USC to monitor potential protests and demonstrations related to what some have called the “true Inauguration Day” – however, the threat seems to have diminished since the uprising on January 6th.
“The significance of this date has apparently diminished among different groups over the past few days,” Blodgett said in a statement Tuesday. “Currently, the USCP has no indication that groups will travel to Washington, DC to protest or commit acts of violence.”
As a precaution and to ensure the safety and security of members of Congress and their staff, there will be an increased police presence throughout the Capitol area.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images
“In addition, the National Guard maintains a presence on Capitol sites to support the USCP in maintaining an increased security stance,” Blodgett added. “We encourage all members and staff to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agencies.”
Since the January 6 attack, during which rioters attacked police and threatened members of Congress and former Vice President Mike Pence, federal prosecutors have charged more than 300 people and more than 280 were arrested. A Justice Department official said this week that the department had opened files on about 540 topics.
Several prominent supporters of QAnon, a disturbing and damaging online conspiracy theory, have been arrested in connection with the riot, which left five dead, potentially leading future attempts to oust Mr. Trump’s power to recover could stall.
Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI told lawmakers Tuesday that the January 6 attack on the Capitol was “domestic terrorism” – a threat he said had been “metastasized” across the country.
Wray said the threats of ‘racially motivated violent extremism’ have skyrocketed over the past few years and that they have been responsible for the ‘deadliest’ attacks of the past decade. He said the bureau was conducting about 2,000 active extremism cases, and that the number of arrests of white supremacists had nearly tripled in recent years.