US Senate Amidst Tight Security After New Extremist Threat

US Senate Amidst Tight Security After New Extremist Threat
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The US Capitol was patrolled Armed US National Guard troops on Thursday after officials warned of a possible new attack plot by extremists, but the feared show of force by those still angry over Donald Trump’s election defeat did not materialize.

While the House of Representatives opted to cancel its session, the Senate carried on with business as usual, as troops kept watch along the razor-wire perimeter fence encircling the grounds.

Officials had warned that just two months after a deadly storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, militia groups and QAnon followers had discussed a fresh attack on the legislature on or about March 4.

Despite the heightened concerns, a procedural vote on a crucial Covid-19 stimulus bill by the full Senate took place without disturbance, with Vice President Kamala Harris present to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Read Also: US Capitol: 4 Dead, 52 Arrested As Trump Supporters Protest

‘We’re way ahead of where we were last time because we have fences and we have National Guard and the rest,’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters, though adding it ‘made sense’ to reduce activities on Capitol Hill.

At the same time, she played down their response, saying the House’s legislative calendar was accelerated Wednesday to accommodate other activities.

‘I don’t think anybody should take any encouragement that because some troublemakers might show up that we changed our whole schedule,‘ she said.

Yet worries persisted and the Capitol Police asked the Pentagon to consider extending the stay of the National Guard protecting Congress through May, an official confirmed.

An FBI-Homeland Security bulletin warned of extremists still motivated by unfounded Republican claims of widespread voter fraud in the November presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden over Trump.

Also driving the possible threat is a belief by followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory that Trump could be restored to the White House on March 4, which was the date for US presidential inaugurations before 1933.

In late February, some militant groups ‘discussed plans to take control of the US Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about March 4,’ according to the bulletin.

 

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK

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