Far-right militia group plotting to ‘breach’ the US Capitol on March 4, police warn

Law enforcement officials are beefing up security at the US Capitol this week after receiving intelligence that some of Donald Trump’s most hardcore fans are considering coming to Washington on Thursday, 4 March, to breach the legislature.

“We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,” the US Capitol police said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We are taking the intelligence seriously,” the statement said.

The USCP, the security force in charge of guarding the legislature and its members, disclosed on Wednesday that it has surged “manpower” and other resources to the perimeter surrounding the Capitol complex.

The date, 4 March, is when most US presidents were inaugurated, before Congress passed a law in 1933 changing Inauguration Day to 20 January.

The date has taken on significance among adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory and other pro-Donald Trump groups who believe the ex-president will return to DC on Thursday and retake his former office. Mr Trump’s supporters have referred to 4 March as “true Inauguration Day”, according to an internal security bulletin from Tuesday from from House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett, obtained by CBS News and other outlets.

That security bulletin names the far-right militia the “Three Percenters” as posing a threat.

Mr Blodgett’s bulletin said the prospect of violence on 4 March had diminished in the weeks since the 6 January, when thousands of Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the legislature in a bloody insurrection that resulted in the deaths of five people and briefly paused the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

Since the riot, thousands of National Guard troops have been patrolling the perimeter of the Capitol, where a fence topped with coils of barbed wire now stands.

“The significance of [4 March] has reportedly declined amongst various groups in recent days,” Mr Blodgett told CBS in a statement on Tuesday. “At this time, the USCP has no indication that groups will travel to Washington, D.C. to protest or commit acts of violence,” he said.

But the top intelligence official at the Department of Homeland Security told senators at a live hearing on Wednesday that the DHS and FBI have issued a joint security bulletin warning of “extremists” who could be planning to violently attack the Capitol and lawmakers on 4 March and 6 March.

Law enforcement officials are taking no risks, especially with both chambers of Congress in session this week.

The US Capitol Police said in a statement on Tuesday it had “concerning information and intelligence pertaining to 4 March” and would be working in conjunction with other law enforcement partners to secure the legislature.

The department has “taken immediate steps to enhance our security posture and staffing for a number of days, to include 4 March,” the statement reads.

“The Department has communicated our enhanced posture as well as the available intelligence for the entire workforce.”

Far-right groups have also latched onto 20 March (the date in 1834 when the Republican party was founded) and 15 April (the federal tax filing deadline) as possible symbolic dates to stage another uprising or demonstration.

The vague but ongoing threats of violence underscore the difficult decisions confronting officials at the Capitol for balancing security, government transparency, and patriotic tourism.

For decades upon decades before the coronavirus pandemic, the Capitol was a massive tourist draw, allowing everyday Americans (and foreigners) to see for themselves the valves of the US’ first branch of government at work.

Locals biked and jogged right past the building’s East Plaza, mere feet from the legislature’s hallowed back steps where quick-footed lawmakers descend into the open DC air after vote series.

Now, the Capitol has become a heavily militarised fortress. Last month, the acting USCP chief called for the fencing surrounding the complex to stay there permanently, which caused an uproar from lawmakers.

At a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing with Capitol security officials last week, Senator Angus King highlighted the dilemma facing members and those responsible for their safety.

“How do we allow the American people to go in the rotunda, to tour the Capitol, to picnic on the grounds, to play with their kids?” he said. “It seems to me that going forward, that is one of our challenges. We want security, but I would hate to see the US Capitol turned into a fortress.”