Nov 05, 2020
Philadelphia police are investigating an alleged plot to attack a convention center in the city where 2020 election ballots are being counted after two armed men--apparently out-of-state supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory--were arrested nearby late Thursday night.
Acting on a timely tip about an armed group--possibly a family--driving from Virginia in a Hummer sport utility vehicle to attack the Phildelphia Convention Center, officers arrested the unnamed men, who were on foot and carrying guns, after locating the unoccupied SUV with another gun inside at about 10:20 pm, WPVIreports.
\u201c#BREAKING: Philly police investigating alleged plot to attack Pennsylvania Convention Center\nhttps://t.co/1Vg6b8mq8v\u201d— Action News on 6abc (@Action News on 6abc) 1604637824
Officers on bicycles then spotted the men minutes later and apprehended them. The suspects, who according to police did not have valid permits for the weapons, were charged with unspecified firearms charges. The gunmen were allegedly on their way to the convention center, although it is not yet known what, if anything, they planned to do there.
Inside, election workers were busy tallying votes, including those in the tightly contested race between President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, who early on Friday had a slight lead over the president with tens of thousands of uncounted votes outstanding.
The Washington Postreports the Hummer has a window sticker reading #WWG1WGA, an acronym for the slogan "Where We Go One, We Go All" used by supporters of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. Officers recovered a military-style hat emblazoned with "QAnon."
\u201cQAnon decals on back window of Hummer parked near Pa. Convention Center and under investigation after police got a tip that occupants were armed and targeting the Convention Center where vote-counting in presidential election is underway.\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
\u201cAnother pic from my colleague @PhillyInquirer photographer @jessicagriffin of QAnon hat on dashboard of Hummer:\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
The arrests were made in the wake of the president making false and potentially incendiary claims about voter fraud and official corruption in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in general. The Post on Thursday reported that text messages were circulating among local right-wing groups calling on Trump supporters to protest at the convention center and baselessly claiming that "Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump!"
The office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to comment on the Thursday arrests beyond saying that a "highly active investigation" is underway, while Philadelphia police said they were working with the FBI on the case.
Despite the FBI labeling QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, the president has praised its pro-Trump supporters as "people that love our country." Trump has also shared many tweets from backers of the baseless theory, which posits--among other preposterous claims--that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles including Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks are involved in an international child sex-trafficking ring.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Philadelphia police are investigating an alleged plot to attack a convention center in the city where 2020 election ballots are being counted after two armed men--apparently out-of-state supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory--were arrested nearby late Thursday night.
Acting on a timely tip about an armed group--possibly a family--driving from Virginia in a Hummer sport utility vehicle to attack the Phildelphia Convention Center, officers arrested the unnamed men, who were on foot and carrying guns, after locating the unoccupied SUV with another gun inside at about 10:20 pm, WPVIreports.
\u201c#BREAKING: Philly police investigating alleged plot to attack Pennsylvania Convention Center\nhttps://t.co/1Vg6b8mq8v\u201d— Action News on 6abc (@Action News on 6abc) 1604637824
Officers on bicycles then spotted the men minutes later and apprehended them. The suspects, who according to police did not have valid permits for the weapons, were charged with unspecified firearms charges. The gunmen were allegedly on their way to the convention center, although it is not yet known what, if anything, they planned to do there.
Inside, election workers were busy tallying votes, including those in the tightly contested race between President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, who early on Friday had a slight lead over the president with tens of thousands of uncounted votes outstanding.
The Washington Postreports the Hummer has a window sticker reading #WWG1WGA, an acronym for the slogan "Where We Go One, We Go All" used by supporters of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. Officers recovered a military-style hat emblazoned with "QAnon."
\u201cQAnon decals on back window of Hummer parked near Pa. Convention Center and under investigation after police got a tip that occupants were armed and targeting the Convention Center where vote-counting in presidential election is underway.\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
\u201cAnother pic from my colleague @PhillyInquirer photographer @jessicagriffin of QAnon hat on dashboard of Hummer:\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
The arrests were made in the wake of the president making false and potentially incendiary claims about voter fraud and official corruption in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in general. The Post on Thursday reported that text messages were circulating among local right-wing groups calling on Trump supporters to protest at the convention center and baselessly claiming that "Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump!"
The office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to comment on the Thursday arrests beyond saying that a "highly active investigation" is underway, while Philadelphia police said they were working with the FBI on the case.
Despite the FBI labeling QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, the president has praised its pro-Trump supporters as "people that love our country." Trump has also shared many tweets from backers of the baseless theory, which posits--among other preposterous claims--that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles including Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks are involved in an international child sex-trafficking ring.
Philadelphia police are investigating an alleged plot to attack a convention center in the city where 2020 election ballots are being counted after two armed men--apparently out-of-state supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory--were arrested nearby late Thursday night.
Acting on a timely tip about an armed group--possibly a family--driving from Virginia in a Hummer sport utility vehicle to attack the Phildelphia Convention Center, officers arrested the unnamed men, who were on foot and carrying guns, after locating the unoccupied SUV with another gun inside at about 10:20 pm, WPVIreports.
\u201c#BREAKING: Philly police investigating alleged plot to attack Pennsylvania Convention Center\nhttps://t.co/1Vg6b8mq8v\u201d— Action News on 6abc (@Action News on 6abc) 1604637824
Officers on bicycles then spotted the men minutes later and apprehended them. The suspects, who according to police did not have valid permits for the weapons, were charged with unspecified firearms charges. The gunmen were allegedly on their way to the convention center, although it is not yet known what, if anything, they planned to do there.
Inside, election workers were busy tallying votes, including those in the tightly contested race between President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, who early on Friday had a slight lead over the president with tens of thousands of uncounted votes outstanding.
The Washington Postreports the Hummer has a window sticker reading #WWG1WGA, an acronym for the slogan "Where We Go One, We Go All" used by supporters of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. Officers recovered a military-style hat emblazoned with "QAnon."
\u201cQAnon decals on back window of Hummer parked near Pa. Convention Center and under investigation after police got a tip that occupants were armed and targeting the Convention Center where vote-counting in presidential election is underway.\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
\u201cAnother pic from my colleague @PhillyInquirer photographer @jessicagriffin of QAnon hat on dashboard of Hummer:\u201d— Robert Moran (@Robert Moran) 1604640704
The arrests were made in the wake of the president making false and potentially incendiary claims about voter fraud and official corruption in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in general. The Post on Thursday reported that text messages were circulating among local right-wing groups calling on Trump supporters to protest at the convention center and baselessly claiming that "Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump!"
The office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to comment on the Thursday arrests beyond saying that a "highly active investigation" is underway, while Philadelphia police said they were working with the FBI on the case.
Despite the FBI labeling QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, the president has praised its pro-Trump supporters as "people that love our country." Trump has also shared many tweets from backers of the baseless theory, which posits--among other preposterous claims--that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles including Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks are involved in an international child sex-trafficking ring.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.