With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration just days away, concerns are rising about a repetition of the scenes witnessed on January 6, when thousands stormed the Capitol, home to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Five people, including one police officer, died in the ensuing mayhem, with Mr Trump himself widely blamed for having incited the mob with an incendiary speech near the White House hours earlier.
The FBI has warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols, starting today, led by Trump supporters who believe his baseless claims about voter fraud.
Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington are among the states that have activated their National Guards to strengthen security, while Texas took the step of closing its Capitol from Saturday through Inauguration Day.
In Michigan, whose Governor Gretchen Whitmer was the target of a kidnapping plot prior to the election, a fence was erected around the Capitol building in Lansing while troopers were mobilised from across the state to bolster security.
Capitol riots: The National Guard in Washington (Image: PA)
Joe Biden will be sworn in on Wednesday (Image: GETTY)
Michigan State Police Director Joe Gasper admitted: "We are prepared for the worst but we remain hopeful that those who choose to demonstrate at our Capitol do so peacefully."
Meanwhile, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said in a statement late Friday that intelligence indicated "violent extremists" may seek to exploit planned armed protests in its state Capitol, Austin to "conduct criminal acts”.
Law enforcement officials have trained much of their focus on Sunday, when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement has flagged plans to hold rallies in all 50 states.
JUST IN: Merkel finished - Laschet declared new CDU leader
Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, was the target of a kidnap plot (Image: GETTY)
Michael Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center said he has not been this worried about the potential for violence in a long time.
