An internal FBI bulletin is reportedly warning that armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols in the United States and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in the run-up to the inauguration.
The memo warns that those protests may start as soon as this week, according to a Monday report from ABC News.
“Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” the bulletin said, according to a source for the Associated Press.
The FBI also reportedly received information about a group calling for a “storming” of local, state, and federal government buildings should President Trump be removed from office before the end of his term on Jan. 20.
“The FBI received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January,” the bulletin said. “They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment, a huge uprising will occur.”
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that police departments have been advised to improve their security at statehouses following Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol. The storming led to the deaths of at least five people, including one Capitol Police officer.
An FBI spokesperson declined to verify the contents of the purported bulletin to the Washington Examiner but said the bureau was “supporting our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety in the communities we serve.”
“As we do in the normal course of business, we are gathering information to identify any potential threats and are sharing that information with our partners,” the FBI spokesperson said. “The FBI respects the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property.”
