Capitol Police had more intelligence prior to the Jan.6 attack than previously admitted but were ordered not to use their most powerful tactics, according to a report cited by Tuesday night by the American media.
Capitol Police Internal Inspector General Michael Bolton’s damning 104-page report concludes police failed to prepare or respond adequately to deadly assault on Congress headquarters in Washington , reported the New York Times daily and the CNN television channel.
Capitol Police had information warning them that supporters of incumbent President Donald Trump, who believed his accusations of electoral fraud in the November presidential election, posed a threat, the media said, citing the report.
Three days before the attack, she received an intelligence bulletin assessing the risks of violence from supporters of Donald Trump.
“Unlike previous post-election protests, the target of pro-Trump protesters for the 6th is not the counter-protesters but Congress itself,” the note said.
Their “propensity to attract white supremacists, militias and others actively advocating violence could lead to a particularly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public in general,” the warning added.
But police have been instructed not to use their more offensive crowd control methods such as stun grenades, according to the report.
A day before the riot, Capitol Police wrote in their protest management plan that there were “no specific known threats related to the extraordinary session of the two Chambers scheduled for that day and during which was to be confirmed the victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump ”.
A congressional hearing is scheduled for Thursday on the report.