Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
- An FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News reporter Aaron Katersky warned that “armed protests” are expected to take place at the US Capitol and state capitols across the country leading up to Inauguration Day.
- One group is reportedly calling for “storming” local, state, and federal courthouses and buildings if Trump is removed from office before January 20.
- And the bureau also reportedly said it has “received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January.”
- The development comes after President Trump incited a deadly riot at the US Capitol last week and was banned from Twitter because the company said his supporters were using his tweets to plan more violent demonstrations.
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A new FBI bulletin warns that “armed protests” are expected to take place at the US Capitol and state capitols across the country leading up to Inauguration Day.
The protests “are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the US Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” said the bulletin, which was first obtained by ABC News reporter Aaron Katersky.
Katersky tweeted that according to the bulletin, one group is calling for “storming” local, state, and federal courthouses and buildings if Trump is removed from office before Inauguration Day. And the bureau also said it has “received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January.”
The group has “warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur,” Katersky tweeted.
Monday’s reporting adds another layer to Twitter’s announcement last week that it banned President Donald Trump from the platform because supporters were using his tweets to plan more potentially violent demonstrations.
“Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021,” Twitter’s statement said.
After inciting a deadly riot at the US Capitol on January 6, Trump returned to Twitter following a temporary ban and praised the 75 million “great American Patriots” who voted for him and said they “will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”
In a subsequent tweet, the president said he would not be attending President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
Twitter said the second tweet “may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a ‘safe’ target, as he will not be attending.”
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