
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — With the January 6 riot at the U.S. State Capitol not even two months in the past, U.S. Capitol Police officials say they are taking a new threat “seriously.”
Capitol Police say they have “obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4.”
The plot is said to be circulating among far-right conspiracy theorists, who believe storming the Capitol will return former President Donald Trump to power — firmly believing the repeatedly debunked statements that the election was “stolen.”
According to an FBI bulletin, the “Three Percenters” group that is circulating the March 4 plot has placed authorities on high alert. The group is labeled an extremist organization by prosecutors.
In a statement on Twitter, the Capitol Police informed, “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.”
The credibility of the information in the bulletin remains unclear.
The 5,000 National Guard troops will remain on the premises, as well as the temporary fencing topped with razor wire that surrounds the Capitol complex.
The House will not be in session Thursday, as it changed its schedule Wednesday night following the intelligence and security concerns.
Thursday was to be a vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, a massive police reform bill. Instead, the vote was held Wednesday.
No changes have been made to the Senate schedule and plans for a vote on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package remain unchanged.