QAnon extremists discussed trying to infiltrate Biden’s inauguration by posing as National Guard members: FBI

Members of QAnon were among the far-right extremists who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6. And according to an intelligence report the Washington Post has obtained, the FBI has been warning law enforcement agencies that QAnon members discussed possibly posing as National Guard members in order to infiltrate President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration this Wednesday, January 20.

Post reporters Carol D. Leonnig and Matt Zapotosky explain, "The document, a summary of threats that the FBI identified in a Monday intelligence briefing, warned that both 'lone wolves' and adherents of the QAnon extremist ideology, some of whom joined in the violent siege on the Capitol on January 6, have indicated they plan to come to Washington for President-elect Joe Biden's swearing-in ceremony. The FBI also said it had observed people downloading and sharing maps of sensitive locations in Washington and discussing how those facilities could be used to interfere in security during the inauguration."

Leonnig and Zapotosky add, however, that "the intelligence briefing did not identify any specific plots to attack the inaugural events that would be akin to the January 6 siege on the Capitol and noted that 'numerous' militia and extremist groups are publicly denouncing any violence targeted at the transition of presidential power.

According to the Post reporters, the FBI has noted "suspicious traffic" but "nothing that points to any specific action."

The QAnon cult is known for its wild and outrageous conspiracy theories, claiming that the United States' federal government has been infiltrated by an international cabal of Satanists, child set traffickers and cannibals and that Trump was put in the White House to fight the cult. An anonymous figure named "Q," according to QAnon, has been providing updates on Trump's battle.

As wacky as QAnon's beliefs are, some far-right Republicans who were elected to Congress in 2020 have embraced them, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Leonnig and Zapotosky note, "In the wake of the Capitol attack, the FBI has scrutinized members of extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters and the Proud Boys, a far-right group with a history of violence, making numerous arrests in recent days."