The information was taken from an FBI situation report entitled: “Potential for violence and actions planned to counteract law enforcement security measures on January 17, 2021 First Amendment protected events by several followers of an anti-government militant movement.”
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is not clear whether the FBI’s information is still current or whether such a demonstration will materialize. POLITICO previously reported that Boogaloo Bois, an anti-government militia, told members that a planned rally for January 17 in DC has been canceled. But the group also advised everyone who still plans to appear to comply with local firearms regulations: “If you can transport legally, you can transport”.
Citing a separate January 11 FBI report, the bulletin also warned that closed trailers were seen in mass meetings, a tactic that could be used to store extra weapons and supplies.
The bulletin detailed other observations by federal and state officials across the country, indicating a potential for violence by far-right armed groups protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. It cites news of suspicious activity related to the January 6 attack. to the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd, as well as internal communications about potential future attacks between state and federal officials, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, the National Crisis Coordination Center and the National Counterterrorism Center.
Police officers expressed surprise at the level of organization and apparent training demonstrated by the January 6 insurrectionists, while Democratic lawmakers speculated that the protesters may have had help from within the Capitol.
National security leaders across the country, however, ordered an unprecedented show of strength this week before President-elect Joe Biden took office on January 20. Thousands of National Guard men and women and various law enforcement agencies have spread across Washington, DC and state capitals in anticipation of potential violence.
The FBI said on Thursday that it had already made more than 100 arrests in connection with the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill and that the police were monitoring “a large number of worrying online conversations” before taking office.
The bureau also warned in an internal bulletin last week about plans for armed protests in all 50 capitals and in Washington in the days leading up to the inauguration. Researchers believe that some of the people belong to extremist groups.
In DC, the number of guards will increase to 21,000 on the day of the inauguration, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Office, told Vice President Mike Pence during a tenure security meeting on Thursday. Capitol security guards carry lethal weapons and have been informed of specific IED threats.
The Secret Service, the agency that leads the inauguration’s security efforts, announced plans on Thursday to establish a “green zone” in central Washington this weekend, shutting down traffic and subway stations. Most of the streets around the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol will be closed from Saturday morning until the day after the inauguration.
In addition, Customs and Border Protection announced that it planned to send aircraft to the capital to conduct surveillance.