Photo: Bloomberg
Law enforcement agencies across the United States are preparing for potential unrest following the 2024 elections. The U.S. Capitol Police, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, have warned of a heightened threat to government officials and election-related sites, particularly in the aftermath of the election results. The risk of violence and civil unrest is expected to increase around the 2025 Electoral Vote Certification and the Presidential Inauguration, according to a Capitol Police intelligence assessment obtained by ABC News.
Javed Ali, the former senior counterterrorism coordinator at the National Security Council, stated that individuals who believe the election was rigged or unfairly decided could potentially conduct lone offender or lone wolf attacks in response. The surge in social media posts alleging that the election will be "stolen" could exacerbate existing political tensions.
The FBI has reported bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. However, none of these threats have been determined to be credible so far. The National Guard Bureau is tracking multiple states and providing support to state agencies during the election. As of Tuesday morning, 252 National Guard members were activated in 15 states, and another 87 were on standby in three states and Washington, D.C.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is also tracking threats against election officials. Cait Conley, who is in charge of CISA's election security portfolio, condemned threats against election officials as fundamentally un-American.
Security experts have warned that the threat of political violence will likely persist in the weeks following Election Day, despite intensive preparations by law enforcement officials determined to avoid another incident like the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.