Intel analyst tried to stop Jan 6 attack after stumbling across online plans, report says

A domestic terrorism intelligence analyst tried to prevent the January 6 attack on the US Capitol after accidentally stumbling across plans for it online, according to a report.

The analyst, who worked for the Department of Homeland Security, had gone online to look at fishing spots near Washington DC and instead uncovered a pro-Trump plot to execute members of Congress and prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s win, reported Yahoo! News.

In a written account provided to investigators, the 21-year-old analyst stated that they had seen a link to a website on 20 December 2020 where individuals “actively at that moment were discussing the commission of acts of terroristic violence and the violent overthrow of the government of the United States.”

The analyst wrote that they “witnessed upwards of 500 pages worth of potential threats to national security” and people discussing how to get illegal weapons into Washington DC.

They also stated that they had seen “discussion references of overthrowing the US Government by force/sparking a second civil war, and veiled credible threats of violence toward other US persons who were perceived enemies, specifically Members of Congress and other federal employees.”

The analyst detailed what they had seen in a four-page letter to inspector general investigators that was obtained by the news outlet.

“Like so many Americans l watched the events of January 6th, 2021 transpire — shocked, scared, and horrified; but for me there was a deeper connection to the event, I was one of the DHS intelligence officials charged with trying to prevent that day’s violence,” the intelligence analyst wrote.

According to Yahoo! News, the analyst and others inside the DHS’s Office of Intelligence Analysis spent the 16 days running up to January 6 trying to sound the alarm as they watched the plot unfold.

They reportedly saw maps of access tunnels leading into Congress appear online, tactical information about smuggling illegal weapons into the area and radio frequencies to use for communications on the day.

Following a “Stop the Steal” rally in front of the White House by Donald Trump on January 6, a large group of his supporters, including members of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keeper and white supremacists, attacked the US Capitol and temporarily stopped the certification of Mr Biden’s victory, before it was carried out hours later.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the attack, which has been linked to nine deaths and suicides and more than 880 people have been indicted over the incident.

The four-page letter was included in an unredacted copy of a March 2022 DHS Office of Inspector General report and underlying materials, obtained by Yahoo! News.

The Independent has reached out to DHS for comment.

“We applaud the public servants at DHS’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis and across the federal government who worked to collect and share information leading up to the January 6 attack. DHS will continue to regularly share information with federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners to ensure the safety and security of all communities across the country,” a DHS spokesman told the outlet in a statement.

“Under the leadership of Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has renewed its commitment to sharing timely and actionable intelligence and information with the public and our partners across every level of government, in the private sector, and local communities.”