Ultra-right radicals planned to infiltrate the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, which will take place on January 20, under the guise of National Guard fighters. This became known to The Washington Post from the FBI documents.
According to the newspaper, the FBI learned that a number of extremists were discussing the possibility of entering the protected area, pretending to be National Guard officers. “Members of QAnon (conspiracy community – Lenta.ru comment ) discussed how they could impersonate National Guard soldiers, believing that it would be easy for them to enter protected areas,” says one of the bureau's documents.
In addition, the American special services learned that some National Guard soldiers have recently noticed that they are being photographed and filmed by unknown persons. In addition, there were cases when unknown persons watched recordings from CCTV cameras installed in protected areas.
According to The Washington Post, the FBI documents do not mention specific plans to undermine the inaugural events, but it is noted that “numerous” extremists took part in the discussion of possible violence against the transfer of power to the elected president.
In turn, a representative of the US Department of Defense told the publication that the National Guard fighters were instructed to look out for everyone who is dressed in special equipment, but behaves suspiciously. This is due, among other things, to the fact that those interested in provocation can try to impersonate the military, having received a uniform in various ways.
Earlier in January, it was reported that the FBI will check all 25,000 National Guard fighters who will guard Washington during Biden's inauguration. The check is due to fears by the authorities that some of those tasked with protecting the American capital over the next few days before the celebrations may themselves pose a threat to the future president and other high-ranking participants in the event.
On January 7, the US Congress approved the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election. This was preceded by riots and the storming of the Capitol by supporters of the incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, during which five people died. Biden's inauguration is scheduled for January 20.