Capitol Police Warning Of Plot By Militia Group To Breach Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Capitol Police Department has obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol complex on Thursday by a militia group, the police department said Wednesday.

The department said it is working with other local, state and federal police agencies to stop any threats to the Capitol. “We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,” the Capitol Police said.

The Capitol Police Department has already established a physical structure around the Capitol in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters of now-former President Donald Trump and is increasing staff to ensure the protection of Congress. “We are taking the intelligence seriously,” the department said.

The Capitol Police said it cannot provide additional details at this time “due to the sensitive nature of this information.”

Members of Congress were warned in a notice Tuesday from acting Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett that there will be heightened security Thursday because of conspiracies circulating among extremist groups.

The threats reportedly appear to stem from QAnon, the umbrella term for a set of disproven and discredited internet conspiracy theories that claim the world is run by a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles.

Followers of the movement believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump, who has pushed baseless claims of voter fraud along with his allies.

QAnon followers also believed that Trump would not actually leave office on Inauguration Day but rather would declare martial law, announce mass arrests of Democrats and stop Joe Biden from becoming president. After Biden took office, the date was moved from Jan. 20 to March 4, the original inauguration day for all U.S. presidents prior to 1933.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis issued an assessment to law enforcement agencies.

The assessment, which was obtained by ABC News, said the threat of domestic violent extremism in 2020 — largely driven by "violent anti-government or anti-authority narratives, periods of prolonged civil unrest and conspiracy theories" — is a trend that will likely continue in 2021 and "could escalate to include targeting of critical infrastructure."

Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill also have been attempting to downplay the events of Jan. 6 that left five people dead including a Capitol Police officer. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, has suggested the siege was a “jovial” protest and rioters who stormed the Capitol were not supporters of Trump.

In the weeks following the Jan. 6 siege, the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a nationwide effort to bring those involved in Jan. 6 to justice. Almost 260 people have been charged in federal courts for their involvement, while others have been charged by the District of Columbia.

The 257 alleged siege participants charged in federal court thus far represent a heterogeneous group. Insurrectionists as young as 18 and as old as 70 have been charged; 221 are men and 36 are women. Thirty-three of the people charged in federal court have known military backgrounds.

They came to the Capitol from 40 states, and 91 percent traveled from outside the Washington, D.C., area to participate in the siege, according to a new report released this week by the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University in D.C.

Alleged perpetrators face as many as 17 counts on their indictment. The charges range from trespassing and illegal entry on designated grounds to conspiracy against the U.S. government and assaulting law enforcement.