[ad_1]
It was all quiet at the US Capitol on Thursday, despite warnings about a possible plot by a militia group to storm the building.
No disturbances were reported near the heavily-secured complex, with Capitol Police officers and members of the National Guard on high-alert.
Authorities said Tuesday that a group of “militia violent extremists” had discussed plans in February to “take control of the US Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about March 4.”
The threat appeared to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly pushed by QAnon backers, that former President Donald Trump would rise again to power on March 4.
That date was the original presidential inauguration day until 1933, when it was moved to Jan. 20.
Leaders of the House of Representatives decided to scrap planned votes on Thursday over the report.
But no large groups showed up in Washington DC, and Trump was miles away in Florida.
The National Mall was nearly deserted, save for a handful of joggers, tourists and journalists.
A few Trump fans and QAnon supporters were spotted near the Capitol at around noon, according to reports.
Two believers in the far-fetched plot, siblings John and Karyn Carson, came to the Capitol at around noon, having taken time off from work in California to witness what they believed would be Trump’s inauguration.
“It may seem foolish to some people that we came all this way to see something that may or may not happen, but we don’t care,” Karyn, 52, told Reuters.
The warning of the possible siege came two months after a mob of Trump supporters smashed into the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of President Biden’s election victory.
Five people died in the Jan. 6 riot, including a Capitol Police officer and a woman shot by cops.
The Capitol complex was fortified with 8-foot fences topped with razor-wire following the deadly riot — though lawmakers from both parties have complained about the barrier.
About 5,200 National Guard members remain in Washington DC, out of the roughly 26,000 who were brought in for Biden’s inauguration, which went off without a hitch.
The Guardsmen were set to go home on March 12, but Capitol Police recently put in a request with the Pentagon to extend the deployment by two months.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the troops should stay as long as they are needed amid a new threat of another mob attack.
With Post wires
[ad_2]
Source link
