The House session scheduled for Wednesday was canceled after the intelligence reports indicated a possible militia attack on the Capitol. After obtaining intelligence of a potential plot, the Capitol police decided to increase the security measures so they can thwart any possibility of an attack.
The intelligence agencies had warned the Capitol police to be ready to combat any breach at the Capitol. They did not give out any further details regarding the magnitude of the situation.
House Democratic leaders had a firm discussion and they decided that the threat of violence was too significant to be overlooked. On Wednesday, House leaders did not leave anything to chance and quickly moved a vote on important legislation, so lawmakers can leave the place before any untoward situation occurs.
Christopher Wray, the FBI Director, has claimed that they expected racially motivated extremists or domestic violence extremists with partisan political views may pose the greatest challenge to the security of the country. And that they were likely to continue posing threats beyond 2021.
On January 6, pro-Trump protestors tried to invade the Capitol building, leaving five individuals dead. Former President Donald Trump was deemed responsible for instigating violence amongst his supporters.
The QAnon conspiracy theory considers March 4 as ‘True Inauguration Day’, as the day of power transfer when former president Donald Trump would return to power to become the President of the United States.
The acting sergeant at arms of the House of Representatives, Timothy Blodgett prepared a memo which was distributed among all the members of Congress on Wednesday. In the memo, it was conveyed that the 4th March being a significant day, the attack can occur at any time of the day.
The acting chief of the Capitol police, Yogananda D. Pittman told the lawmakers that the agency had received ‘concerning’ intelligence reports about the possible attack on the Capitol between March 4 to March 6.
More than 300 people, including several retired military personnel, were arrested following the attack on the Capitol building.
