Police: Possible Plot to Attack Capitol Tomorrow

Conspiracy theorists believe Trump will be sworn in again Thursday
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 3, 2021 1:15 PM CST
Police Warn of Possible Plot to Attack Capitol Thursday
Conspiracy theorists believe Trump will be sworn in again on March 4, which they are calling the "True Inauguration Day."   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Donald Trump will not be sworn in as the 19th president of the United States on Thursday, but Capitol Police officials say they have received intelligence that conspiracy theorists who believe otherwise might be planning to storm the Capitol again. "We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4," Capitol Police said in a statement. Sources tell ABC that the alert is connected to a recent FBI bulletin that warned the Three Percenters militia group might be planning to use tactics including detonating a bomb to pull law enforcement away from the Capitol before an attack on the building.

"Our Department is working with our local, state, and federal partners to stop any threats to the Capitol," the Capitol Police statement said. "We are taking the intelligence seriously. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we cannot provide additional details at this time." Lawmakers are expected to be briefed on the threat by Capitol Police in a closed session Wednesday, the AP reports. Security measures still in place after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol include a razor wire-topped fence around the complex. Around 5,000 National Guard troops are at the site. March 4 was the presidential inauguration date until 1933. A conspiracy theory spread by QAnon supporters claims that the US secretly became a corporation in 1871, meaning Ulysses Grant, the 18th president, was the last "real" president, Forbes reports. (More Capitol Police stories.)

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