The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that it has uncovered a possible plot by a militia group to breach the Capitol on March 4, the date QAnon conspiracy theorists believe former President Donald Trump will return to power.
In a statement, the Capitol Police said it is “aware and prepared for” any potential threats toward members of Congress or the Capitol complex.
“We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,” the statement read. “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.”
Capitol Police did not identify the militia group or offer any details about the threat, saying it could not say more due to the “sensitive nature” of the information.
The warning comes less than 12 hours after Capitol Police had issued a statement saying it would beef up security ahead of Thursday.
“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 4,” the Capitol Police said Tuesday night. “The Department has communicated our enhanced posture as well as the available intelligence for the entire workforce.”
The Capitol Police said they will continue to work with all of their law enforcement partners to make them aware of “concerning information and intelligence.”
Far-right QAnon conspiracy theorists believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Mr. Trump, who has raised unfounded allegations of voter fraud.
At first, QAnon supporters believed Mr. Trump would not leave office on Inauguration Day and, instead, declare martial law, announce mass arrests of Democrats and stop President Biden from being inaugurated.
When that didn’t happen, the fringe theorists moved the date from Jan. 20 to March 4, the original Inauguration Day for all U.S. presidents prior to 1933.
QAnon theorists believe that the world is run by a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles and that Mr. Trump was elected to stop them. A popular theory among QAnon followers is that John F. Kennedy Jr. was not killed in a 1999 plane crash, but rather faked his death and is working with Mr. Trump to stop pedophiles.
The FBI in 2019 labeled QAnon and its supporters “a dangerous extremist group.” Several alleged QAnon followers were charged for their involvement in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, when a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the building to stop Congress from certifying the electoral votes.
Despite the riot, Congress was able to return to the Capitol and certify the votes confirming Mr. Biden as the newest president.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.