Capitol cops confirm they received intelligence on a militia group's plot 'to breach the Capitol' TOMORROW - the day QAnon conspiracy theorists say Trump will be sworn in again as president
U.S. Capitol Police revealed Wednesday it has received intelligence reports that indicated 'a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group' on March 4.
The police noted the intelligence is so 'sensitive' that 'we cannot provide additional details at this time.'
This Thursday is predicted by followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory to be the day that Donald Trump will take power again, returning to D.C. to be inaugurated as president once more.
Security is being beefed up around the Capitol ahead of the date.
Capitol Police did not name a specific group in its statement but there is chatter the militia group the Three Percenters is involved - the group were among the rioters accused of breaching the Capitol on January 6 as part of a Make America Great Again mob.
'We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,' USCP said in a statement Wednesday - the same day that officials testified on Capitol Hill about security surrounding the complex.
'We have already made significant security upgrades to include establishing a physical structure and increasing manpower to ensure the protection of Congress, the public and our police officers,' they noted.
Acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman said Wednesday that the security posture at the Capitol right now 'is enhanced'
'Our Department is working with our local, state, and federal partners to stop any threats to the Capitol. We are taking the intelligence seriously. Due to the sensitive nature of this information we cannot provide additional details at this time.'
Acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman said Wednesday in her testimony to House lawmakers that the security posture at the Capitol right now 'is enhanced.'
And acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett sent a memo to lawmakers and staff asking them to 'remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity' headed into Thursday.
March 4 emerged as a new source of hope for QAnon loyalists after the original theory that Trump would win the 2020 election fell apart.
Members of the National Guard are seen at the US Capitol Building on Tuesday. Security in D.C. has been beefed up as intelligence emerged of a threat from the Three Percenters, who may be planning to breach the Capitol on Thursday
Members of the National Guard enter a gate in temporary security fencing near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. The Capitol is being guarded by almost 5,000 troops ahead of March 4 as Capitol cops receive word of a threat from the 3%ers
This Thursday is predicted by followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory to be the day that former President Donald Trump (pictured on Sunday) will take power again and return to Washington D.C. for his inauguration
Police sources told Fox 5 that they have now had vacation and days off canceled for the coming week as D.C. prepares to combat the threat posed by the new theory.
Capitol police had announced earlier on Tuesday that they had been made aware of 'concerning information and intelligence pertaining to March 4th' and were increasing security as a result.
The statement added that 'based on the intelligence that we have, the Department has taken immediate steps to enhance our security posture and staffing for a number of days, to include March 4th'.
The Capitol is being guarded by almost 5,000 troops ahead of Thursday and US Capitol Police requested 4,900 National Guard troops remain in the nation's capital until at least March 12.
For some soldiers, this means it is almost two months since they were first drafted in to the city following the MAGA mob riot on January 6 where Trump supporters broke into the Capitol in a violent riot that left five dead.
A member of the National Guard guards the Captiol on Tuesday. Some members have been stationed there for two months
People walk past a section of fencing blocking the Capitol grounds on Monday as securoty is increased
The U.S Capitol Building behind temporary security fencing as members of the National Guard walk by on Tuesday
National Guard patrol a section of fencing blocking the Capitol grounds as they prepare for a potential breach plot
It comes as the Michigan National Guard has blown the whistle on sub-par food being fed to troops that has caused more than a dozen soldiers on deployment to become ill.
March 4 is important for QAnon conspirators because it was the former inauguration date of the country before the 20th Amendment moved it up to its current date in January.
It was moved to lessen the time of a 'lame duck' presidency.
QAnon followers believe that Trump will rally and return to the Capitol on Thursday, where he will be sworn in again.
Forbes reports that room rates at Trump's D.C. hotel for the nights of March 3 and March 4 have spiked and far exceed the typical rates.
A king deluxe room, for example, is going for $1,331 per night, which is 180 percent above the base rate of the hotel.
Other hotels in the area are not making the same price increases for the coming nights.
'Raising room prices will surely be interpreted by QAnon as Trump’s support for the March 4 narrative,' said Jason Blazakis, senior fellow at the Soufan Center, a nonpartisan think tank.
'They absolutely try to interpret the words and actions of President Trump very carefully.
According to Fox, there is speculation that March 20 - the day the Republican party came to life in 1834 - and April 15 - federal income tax day - may also pose a threat.
A memo from acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett claims that some of the threat for March 4 has diminished, Fox reports, despite the bulletin naming the Three Percenters.
The right-wing group is a loosely organized movement that claims it isn't an anti-government militia but 'we will defend ourselves when necessary.'
The Three Percenters derives its name from the belief that just 3% of the colonists rose up to fight the British. They have vowed to resist any government that infringes on the U.S. Constitution.
The Capitol was the site of a pro-Trump insurrection on January 6 that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer.
The mob believed Trump's false claims that the election was 'rigged' and 'stolen' from him.
Members of the National Guard near the U.S. Capitol perimeter that is surrounded by security fencing due to a potential militia plot to preach the building again on March 4, on what used to be the presidential Inauguration Day
Members of the National Guard at the U.S. Capitol where many of them have been stationed for two months
The Capitol is being guarded by almost 5,000 troops ahead of Thursday and US Capitol Police requested 4,900 National Guard troops remain in the nation's capital until at least March 12. Members of the National Guard pictured on Tuesday
U.S. National Guard soldiers patrol outside the Hart Senate Office Building on Tuesday. The news of the threat emerged Tuesday as further details emerged of the sub=par conditions being suffered by the National Guard at the Capitol
According to Fox, there is speculation that March 20 - the day the Republican party came to life in 1834 - and April 15 - federal income tax day - may also pose a threat as the National Guard are called on to remain until at least March 12
Even after leaving the White House, and his suspension from favorite social media platform Twitter, Trump has continued to push the unfounded allegations.
During his remarks at CPAC on Sunday, he mentioned the possibility of winning for 'a third time' if he chooses to run for president again. It suggested that he had won in 2020 and could run again in 2024.
QAnon beliefs have rarely been validated by the realities that have unfolded around the conspiracy's followers.
As well as believing Trump will return as president this Thursday, they think the former president is working against Satanic members of Hollywood and the Democratic Party who are running a pedophile ring, which led to the infamous Pizzagate incident.
They also believe John F. Kennedy Jr. is still alive and that COVID-19 is a conspiracy that was invented to hurt Trump's reelection chances.
Members of the Three Percenters have been among those charged with involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Members of the Three Percenters have been among those charged with involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, pictured
Security was upped around the Capitol after a MAGA mob stormed the building on January 6, pictured
According to a George Washington University study published on Tuesday, rioters included members of military networks, military 'clusters,' and 'inspired believers'. Pictured, rear gas is released into a crowd of rioters on January 6
According to a George Washington University study published on Tuesday, rioters included members of military networks, military 'clusters,' and 'inspired believers'.
Of the later group, they 'arranged their own travel, accommodations, and other logistics to join the crowds in Washington from areas throughout the United States,' according to the report.
'Charging documents claim that many of the more-organized individuals that participated in the siege were affiliated with nationwide anti-government militia movements, specifically the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters. Both groups operate as umbrella organizations for dozens of militias throughout the country,' according to the group.
They 'arranged their own travel, accommodations, and other logistics to join the crowds in Washington from areas throughout the United States,' the report added.
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