PA Officials Remain Alert For Potential Inauguration Day Unrest

PENNSYLVANIA — The volley of threats made online and the drastically increased security presence in Harrisburg led to a quiet afternoon in the state capitol Sunday, as officials remained on alert for further violence following the riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6.

Sunday, the final weekend of the Trump presidency, was supposed to be one filled with "armed marches on every state capitol" nationwide, as well as Washington, D.C. Hundreds of Pennsylvania State Police, Harrisburg police, and Capitol police responded in force, with barriers, armed guards, street closures, and a closure of the Capitol Complex. An additional 450 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard were activated. Many area businesses shut their doors.

And while the threats did not pan out, officials remain alert for any Inauguration Day unrest.

State police told Patch on Tuesday that they are not aware of any specific threat against Pennsylvania Wednesday, but that they will be prepared. It's not yet clear if the same number of law enforcement and troops will be present in Harrisburg.

"The Pennsylvania State Police will continue monitoring intelligence reports and work with PA Capitol Police to determine the appropriate presence required at the Capitol through Inauguration Day," said Ryan Tarkowski, the communications director for the Pennsylvania State Police.

The inauguration protests on Wednesday have been called alternatively a "Million Militia March" or a "Million Martyr March" by organizers online.

"We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match," one Parler post read, published immediately following the Capitol riots. "However, the police are NOT Our enemy, unless they choose to be!"

On Wednesday, reports indicated that a very small smattering of protesters had arrived at the state capitol, some holding signs for Trump or Biden.

A small handful of pro-Trump supporters protesting the election did arrive in Harrisburg Sunday, as they did at state capitols in Michigan, Ohio, Utah, and other states. But in Pennsylvania, as in other states, these groups were quiet and were vastly outnumbered by police, according to reports.

The smattering of pro-Trump supporters was countered by a small group of counterprotesters, photos from the scene show. There was a cardboard cutout of Trump that was ceremoniously toppled, with a sign reading "lock him up" next to it.

Elsewhere across the country, violence had not been reported as of late Sunday afternoon, and all protests ended without any clashes or injuries, according to The Associated Press.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse called the preparations for Sunday "an enormous effort on all levels." He added that officials would evaluate the security situation before making announcements regarding any further preparations being made before Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, which has been another day targeted for violence by extremists online.

But despite the quiet scene at the state capitol Sunday, Pennsylvania continues to figure into the fallout from the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

A Harrisburg woman is under investigation by the FBI for stealing a laptop computer from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the siege. Authorities are investigating reports she planned to sell it to SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service.

Meanwhile, a man who threatened to kill President-elect Joe Biden, Gov. Tom Wolf, Pelosi, and other elected officials was arrested in a wooded area of Bucks County on Friday. He was armed, police said, adding that he had posted threatening messages on his Facebook page.