According to a person familiar with the discussions, law enforcement officials concerned about the prospect of violence at a rally in the country’s capital next week are planning to reinstall protective fences that left the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the Jan. January for months.
Although no specific measures were announced, House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi hinted at additional security for the September 18 rally during her weekly press conference Wednesday: “We intend to keep the integrity of the Capitol intact.” Briefings for lawmakers , including congressional leaders, are expected in the coming days.
A security plan in preparation calls for a fenced-in area in the streets surrounding the Capitol and the Supreme Court, but not near any nearby congressional office buildings, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity an official announcement.
Police continue to pursue information suggesting that far-right groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend next week’s rally to seek “justice” for the hundreds of people indicted in connection with the January riot became. However, the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, said he did not expect its members to attend.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday the FBI released new information in hopes of catching the person suspected of leaving two pipe bombs on Capitol Hill the night before the riot, one of the lingering, unsolved mysteries of this chaotic week.
The potential presence of extremist groups at next week’s event is worrying because while members and staff of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys make up only a fraction of the nearly 600 people indicted in the riot to date, they face some of the heaviest charges raised.
These charges include allegations that they conspired to block the confirmation of Biden’s victory. Several Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and are working with investigators on the case against their side-extremists, whom authorities say came to Washington violent and ready to do whatever it takes to gain electoral college certification to stop.
The fence was a powerful symbol of the fear felt by many in the Capitol after the mob pushed past overwhelmed police officers, breached doors and windows, and ransacked the Capitol as Congress voted to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory.
The planned September 18 rally comes as nervous Washington has seen a number of worrying one-off incidents – including recently a man who parked a pickup truck near the Library of Congress and said he had a bomb and a detonator.
Perhaps most troubling, a number of unexploded pipe bombs placed near the Capitol on Jan. 5 remains unsolved and no suspect has been charged.
The FBI released a new video of the suspect and a digital map on Wednesday showing the person circling the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees where the bombs were placed. The FBI also said for the first time that agents believe the suspect was not from Washington, D., C. Area, but may have been “operated” from a location near the Capitol.
“Based on the suspect’s route to the DNC and from DNC to RNC and the way the suspect wears the backpack after placing the pipe bomb in the DNC, the FBI believes the suspect is near Folger Park, from which the person operated, “the FBI said in a press release.”
Some lawmakers and union leaders were expected to be briefed on the fence plan later this week, and another more in-depth briefing was planned for House and Senate leaders on Monday.
On Capitol Hill, politics surrounding fencing in the iconic building and grounds after the January uprising proved a challenge to lawmakers. Many have said they don’t like blocking access despite recognizing the increased level of security it offers. The fence eventually came with a promise to rebuild if necessary. But the question of what fencing deserves is tricky.
In an interview on Wednesday, the district’s Democratic representative Deleanor Holmes Norton said she had not been informed of the security plans but understood whether the fence would need to be reinstalled as a precaution for the upcoming rally.
“I hope we don’t have to fence in the Capitol every time there is a demonstration,” said Norton. But she added, “If you go with the fence, I won’t criticize you.”
Norton suggested that after January 6, before this rally, more robust security arrangements would be put in place – although it is scheduled for a Saturday before the house returns for the session, a normally sleepy summer afternoon with few lawmakers or staff at work.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the fence goes up,” she said. “The preparations will certainly be more than on January 6th.”
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Contributors to this report were Associated Press authors Colleen Long, Nomaan Merchant, and Mary Clare Jalonick.
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