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Agencies

Hundreds of far-right protesters were expected to attend a “Justice For J6” rally in Washington DC on Saturday in support of people who were arrested after the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.
With memories of the January riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump still fresh in many minds, Capitol Police and other agencies have been preparing for the demonstration for weeks.
Capitol Police have erected another chain-link fence to limit access to the historic Capitol building.
Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger on Friday told reporters “there have been some threats of violence associated” with Saturday’s demonstration.

The police department has a “strong plan in place” to maintain a peaceful event, Manger told a news conference.
“In the last few days, we’ve had a number of specific threats come in against specific members of Congress,” Manger said, adding that those threats have not been “specifically tied to the rally tomorrow”.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has put 100 National Guard troops on standby to help police protect the Capitol if needed, the Pentagon said on Friday. A Pentagon spokesman said the request had been made by the Capitol police and the troops would be based out of the DC Armory.
The National Guard troops, who will be unarmed except for batons, would be used after local, state and federal law enforcement capabilities had been tapped, the spokesman said.
Man arrested after knives found in truck near Democratic headquarters in DC
“The task force will only be deployed upon request of the Capitol Police to help protect the US Capitol Building and Congressional Office buildings by manning building entry points and verifying credentials of individuals seeking access to the building,” the spokesman said.
Manger said one risk police were preparing for was clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters.
“What we’re concerned about, I think, more than anything is the possibility of counter-demonstrators making it to this demonstration and there being violence between those two groups,” Manger said. “In my opinion, that’s the most likely scenario for violence.”
Travellers arriving at the airport nearest Washington will also face increased security in the run-up to a planned Saturday rally, the Transportation Security Administration said.
“Travellers will notice increased law enforcement and canine presence along with a generally higher level of awareness in TSA’s intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to transportation security,” a TSA spokesperson said, referring to Reagan National Airport in Virginia just across the Potomac River.


The “Justice For J6” rally is a reference to the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump in an attempt to stop certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security warned about the potential for violence at the rally, according to a memo shared with state and local authorities and obtained by CNN. The DHS has projected 700 people could attend the rally.
One US official who read the warning told Reuters it said homeland security officials lacked “specific credible information” regarding any individual or groups’ plans for violence. The official said the warning appeared to be based on social media postings rather than intelligence gathered from sources inside organisations involved in organising September 18 events.
Trump has maintained his false claims that his defeat was due to widespread election fraud, even after his assertion was rejected by multiple courts, state election authorities and members of his own administration.
Trump builds campaign operation for 2024 comeback bid
The pro-Trump group organising the September 18 rally, Look Ahead America, has alleged that the more than 600 people facing criminal charges over the January 6 riots have been mistreated and singled out because of their political views.
A rally organiser, Matt Braynard, urged participants not to wear clothes or carry signs mentioning Trump or Biden.
Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer, said participants who supported the political figures would be considered infiltrators.

“We request that anybody attending our events not wear any clothing or have signs supportive of either President Trump or Biden,” Braynard said in a tweet. “Anyone not honouring this request will be assumed to be an infiltrator and we will take your picture, find out who you are, and make you famous.”
Rioters on January 6 attacked police, smashed windows and sent lawmakers and then Vice-President Mike Pence at the US Capitol running for safety.
Four people died, one fatally shot by police and three from medical emergencies. A Capitol Police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the following day. Four police officers who took part in the defence of the Capitol later committed suicide.
Suspect in bomb threat near US Capitol surrenders after police stand-off
Trump referred to the upcoming protest in a statement on Thursday, saying: “Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6 protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election”.
Police and congressional leaders said they were prepared for Saturday’s protest. Most members of Congress would be out of town.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, taking part at a forum in Britain on Thursday, said: “They have their plans. Everybody will be more ready for them”.
Reuters and Tribune News Service


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United States

US boosts security, warns risk of violence at pro-Trump Capitol rally

Security crews are using a chain-link fence around the US Capitol building to deter another riot like the one January 6. Photo: AFP

A video surveillance apparatus is seen on the East Front of the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, as security officials prepare for a Sept. 18 demonstration by supporters of the people arrested in the Jan. 6 riot. The camera surveillance system is on permanent loan from the U.S. Army but will be operated by the Capitol Police to enhance security around the Capitol grounds. Law enforcement officials concerned by the prospect for violence at a rally in the nation's capital next week are planning to reinstall protective fencing that surrounded the U.S. Capitol for months after the Jan. 6 insurrection there. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Supporters of President Donald Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. House Democrats are asking for legislation to make sure that military personnel and recruits are not participating in extremist activities as was seen at the Capitol insurrection.(Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Man arrested by Capitol Police after knives found in truck near Democratic headquarters in Washington

The inside of a pickup truck after US Capitol Police officers arrested a man with a bayonet and machete in his vehicle in Washington on Monday. Photo: Handout

Suspect in bomb threat near US Capitol surrenders after police stand-off

Police officers maintain a perimeter around the Library of Congress and the US Capitol in Washington on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

First responders and police investigate a possible bomb threat near the US Capitol and Library of Congress in Washington, DC, on August 19, 2021. - Police said Thursday a suspicious vehicle was being investigated for possible explosives and that people were told to leave the area. "The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress," the US Capitol Police said on its Twitter feed. "This is an active bomb threat investigation." The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has also joined the probe. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)

A Deppaartment of Homeland Security police officer mans a police barricade during a bomb threat near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., August 19, 2021. REUTERS/Gabrielle Crockett

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Planned rally in support of people arrested in the January 6 insurrection prompts security boost at US Capitol
Department of Homeland Security has projected 700 people could attend Saturday’s rally



Hundreds of far-right protesters expected at Washington DC rally in support of people who were arrested after the January 6 Capitol riot.


Donald Trump

Joe Biden

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