A bulletin issued by federal intelligence agencies revealed Washington D.C. is on high alert as a far-right extremist group plots to overtake the Capitol building on March 4.
The F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security announced the heightened alert on Tuesday night in a joint statement. The two agencies said that a group of violent extremists plan to take control of the Capitol building and oust Democratic lawmakers around March 4. March 4 is the date conspiracy theorists believe former President Donald Trump will re-take the presidency.
A House session originally planned for March 4 was rescheduled to the night of March 3 in light of F.B.I. and Homeland Security warnings.
The joint briefing also noted that extremists are actively recruiting followers in online forums to travel to D.C. similar to the Capitol insurrection on January 6. Online forums users think March 4 is significant because from 1793 to 1933 presidential inaugurations usually landed on March 4.
Capitol Police also released a statement Wednesday saying they detected a “possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4.” The department is “aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Capitol complex” and has “significant security upgrades.”
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told Congress on Wednesday that her department also screened “concerning intelligence,” matching the joint announcement. Pittman, however, said it would not be “prudent” to share “law-enforcement sensitive” intelligence in public.
