Could QAnon followers or other right-wing extremists successfully pose as National Guard troops to threaten or disrupt Wednesday’s presidential inauguration?
It’s one of many questions the FBI is worried about.
The bureau’s concern is laid out in an intelligence report obtained by the Washington Post, warning other law enforcement agencies that potential domestic terrorists have discussed just such a ruse, and have studied maps to identify “vulnerable spots” in locked-down Washington D.C.
“The document, a summary of threats that the FBI identified in a Monday intelligence briefing, warned that both ‘lone wolves’ and adherents of the QAnon extremist ideology … have indicated they plan to come to Washington for President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony,” the Post says.
The briefing identified no specific plots against the inauguration.
The Post said it is “withholding some details outlined in the intelligence report at the request of the FBI to avoid revealing intelligence-gathering methods or specific security vulnerabilities.”
The Secret Service, which is in overall charge of security for the inauguration, told The Hill that it “takes all threats seriously” and will work with “federal, state, local and military partners” to secure the inauguration.
Well over 20,000 National Guard troops are already deployed in the capital, along with thousands of other law enforcement officers. They could total 25,000 by Wednesday morning.
Two members of the Guard were removed from the inauguration security operation after they were found to have ties to fringe right-wing militias, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing officials from the Army and U.S. intelligence. The sources said there was no indication the two were involved in any plot against Biden. (Later on Tuesday, the number of troops with right-wing ties increased to 12)
Miles of fencing have been erected around historic buildings and monuments “that normally serve as the backdrop for a peaceful transfer of power between presidential administrations,” the Post says.
“QAnon members have discussed posing as National Guard soldiers, believing that it would be easy for them to infiltrate secure areas,” according to the briefing document.
The conspiracy theorists have been taking photos and videos of the security perimeter surrounding the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the National Mall and much of central Washington, the FBI report says.
There’s also growing concern about potential lone wolves — “individual figures who have no clear ties to specific groups but have protested the election results [and] have also shown interest in the event.”
