DHS Briefing Warns of Potential Violence at DC Rally

A Depratment of Homeland Security briefing to state and local law enforcement agencies stressed the possibility of violence at the "Justice for J6" protest rally based on its intelligence assessment.Officers from Montgomery County,Maryland;Arlington County,Virginia;and Fairfax County,Virginia have been deputised to assist the US Capitol Police at the event on 18 September 2021.As well,the Pentagon has put the D.C. National Guard on standby for a quick response,if needed.* Capitol fencing was put up by construction crews overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.They also added temporary surveillance cameras to the setup.The fencing is buttressed by concrete jersey barriers to make it sturdier and deter ramming by motor vehicles.* The DHS briefing noted that online chatter indicated possible violence not only on the eighteenth,but the seventeenth as well.There was talk of storming the Capitol and the kidnapping of a specific member of Congress.Lone wolves and small groups can mobilise quickly and without warning,the briefing cautioned.* The DHS Transportation Security Administration will bulk up security at Washington area airports this weekend by deploying canine teams.In addition,the Capitol Police and the TSA are upgrading protection of members of Congress.* Several state capitals across the country are also possible targets for extremist activity over the weekend.*