Armed protesters gather in small groups at state capitols across U.S.
Armed groups descended upon state capitals around the country on Sunday ahead of the Wednesday inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
A man with a pistol and three high-capacity magazines was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post. It was not immediately clear whether he’d planned to commit violence. Capitol Police reportedly arrested a woman for impersonating a police officer, as well.
In Lansing, Mich., men to believed to be part of the “boogaloo” seeking the overthrow of the U.S. government were seen at the Michigan Capitol, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The group had about 10 to 20 men, an official was quoted as saying, some of them armed.
“That’s why I’m here, because my vote got stolen,” a small business owner at the protest told The New York Times. “Biden is never going to be my president. I’m going to fight him whenever I get the chance.”
Almost all the demonstrators had left by 3 p.m., according to Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. There were no arrests or violent incidents, he added.
A similar scene played out in New Jersey’s state capital, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“We are breathing a collective sigh of relief,” Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora was quoted as saying. “It appears there are more skateboarders than protesters here.”
Earlier this month, the FBI warned that armed protests were expected at capitals of all 50 states. The alarm came after Trump supporters who reject the November election results besieged the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, leaving five dead.
A photo from that riot was on the Facebook page of the man arrested Sunday in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post.
Security had been heightened in Albany, but there were no signs of disturbances there as of Sunday afternoon.
Violent demonstrators were not expected in the Big Apple.
There were “no specific and tangible threats against New York City at this moment,” Mayor de Blasio said last week. “Very close monitoring is being done by our intelligence division.”
Protests were seen in Ohio, Oregon and Texas, according to the Times.
Five men in military-style threads reportedly marched and waved flags near the Oregon State Capitol.
“We want to show the rest of the country that we have rights,” a protester was quoted as saying.
