FBI office warned of ‘war’ on the United States Capitol, although the attack is unknown

FBI office warned of ‘war’ on the United States Capitol, although the attack is unknown

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Top line

An FBI office in Virginia issued an explicit warning that extremists planned to travel to Washington, DC, to commit violence and “war” on the eve of the deadly attack on the United States Capitol, according to an internal report obtained by The Washington Post, directly contradicting the agency’s previous claim that it lacked the intelligence to predict last Wednesday’s siege.

Key Facts

The FBI Norfolk reportedly warned that extremists were sharing maps of the Capitol complex’s tunnel system and organizing meeting points for those traveling from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

“On January 5, 2021, the FBI Norfolk received information indicating calls for violence,” says a section of the report, according to the Post, who goes on to describe detailed plans for the attack: “An online topic discussed specific calls for violence including the statement ‘Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear broken glass, doors being kicked and blood from its slave soldiers BLM and Pantifa being spilled. ”

An unidentified FBI agent told the Post that the report was shared with others inside the bureau – including FBI field office employees in Washington – shortly after the online topic was identified, an account the FBI did not immediately verify in response to questions from Forbes.

This internal document appears to contradict statements made by the head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Steven D’Antuono, who told reporters last week that “there was no indication” of anything planned on January 6 “other than the protected activity. by the First Amendment. ”

Crucial Quote

“Be violent. Stop calling it a march, demonstration or protest. Go there ready for war, ”says the online topic quoted in the FBI report. “We take our president or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal. “

Key Background

NBC News also reported contradictions in D’Antuono’s public statements earlier this week, citing several anonymous police officers who said the FBI and the New York Police Department had passed information to the US Capitol Police on the possibility of violence during the protests.

Further Reading

“The FBI report warned of the ‘war’ on the Capitol, contradicting claims that there was no indication of imminent violence” (The Washington Post)

“The FBI and the New York police told the Capitol Police about the possibility of violence before the rebellion, senior officials say” (NBC News)

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