As Inauguration Nears, Concern Of More Violence Grows

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At a bus stop on Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest in Washington, D.C., a notice from the FBI seeks information about people pictured during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, warned Saturday that he was notified of a «disturbing report of a death threat received Friday by the Iowa Democratic Party. «Threats like this & violence are UNACCEPTABLE, he tweeted.

The likelihood of more violence is one of the reasons Twitter permanently suspended President Trump’s account. «Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021, Twitter wrote.

Twitter was particularly concerned by a Trump tweet indicating he wouldn’t attend the inauguration. That message «may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a ‘safe’ target.

Although plans for more armed demonstrations are generally in their early stages, the potential for violence is very real, Alethea Group says. «We’re in a tinderbox situation right now, Alethea Group’s vice president of analysis, Cindy Otis, told NPR. «Communities online that either participated in Wednesday’s violence or supported it are threatening that it was only the beginning of what they have long claimed is an inevitable civil war or revolution.

Otis, a former CIA analyst, says that extremist groups were likely encouraged by seeing how relatively easy it seemed to be to overtake the Capitol building — and how close participants were able to get to political officials whom they see as enemies.

«One would hope that a siege on the Capitol building planned and organized in public view would inspire more preparation by the relevant agencies, she added.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told CNN that the group was seeing online «chatter from white supremacists online who feel «emboldened by the current moment. «We fully expect that this violence could actually get worse before it gets better, he said.

Some state legislatures are also concerned about the potential for violence. In the wake of the Capitol insurrection, Florida lawmakers have proposed a measure that would increase penalties for people arrested during a violent protest.

«If you injure a police officer during that period of time, you will go to jail for at least six months, Florida House of Representatives Speaker Chris Sprowls told Fox News. «If you are arrested during an aggravated riot situation, you will spend the night in jail.

Despite heightened security concerns, Biden still plans to be inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 20. «We are confident in our security partners who have spent months planning and preparing for the inauguration, and we are continuing to work with them to ensure the utmost safety and security of the president-elect, a senior Biden inauguration official told The Washington Post.