An alert generated Thursday by US Capitol police and reviewed by CNN warned of far-right calls for violence against a religious group planning an upcoming abortion rights protest outside the court.
National Fusion Center Association law enforcement officials held a call Wednesday with about 150 attendees to alert state and local partners to nationwide protests that have resulted in physical clashes, other possible protests and the rise in social media chatter, according to sources familiar with the call.
Several sources told CNN that recent developments could encourage violent extremists to engage in attacks or other criminal activity targeting abortion clinic staff, patients or facilities.
A law enforcement source added that government officials — including the nine justices and their staff — or abortion-related advocacy groups and abortion-related First Amendment-protected events could be the target of violence.
The source also said social media chatter against judges and members of Congress is being tracked – work that has become common practice in a time of increased use of social media to express extremist ideas.
The US Marshals Service protects about 2,700 judges nationwide and notes that threats or inappropriate contact have increased in recent years. The inspector general’s report noted that the agency responded to more than 4,200 threats in 2020, up 81% from 2016.
The DC Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Capitol Police have added officers in the area since the leaked opinion surfaced.