Military and law enforcement preparing for ongoing, violent attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election are bracing for the use of explosives over the next week.
Politico reported on Tuesday that national guardsmen deployed to the U.S. Capitol after last week’s insurrection attempt were being briefed on potential improvised explosive devices. CNN is also reporting that pipe bombs and molotov cocktails — both IEDs — are expected to be a threat.
The warnings come as 20,000 national guard members deploy as part of a massive show force intended to protect Biden’s inauguration.
During the assault on the U.S. Capitol building last week, pipe bombs were found and defused at both the RNC and DNC. The FBI has not yet apprehended anyone in connection with the bombing attempts.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said on Wednesday that the National Guard members had been deployed to combat a “major threat” to the inauguration, and that they would be armed.
The Department of Homeland Security extended the national security designation for the inaugural to begin on Wednesday, giving the transfer of power a longer window of full-scale armored protection.
