FBI tracking ‘extensive’ online chatter about armed protests

Pence listens during a briefing about the upcoming presidential inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, at FEMA headquarters, on Jan 14, 2021, in Washington. — AP

WASHINGTON: The FBI is tracking an “extensive amount of concerning online chatter”, including calls for armed protests leading up to next week’s presidential inauguration, Director Chris Wray said on Jan 14.

Wray, in his first public appearance since the Jan 6 riot at the US Capitol, said in a security briefing for Vice President Mike Pence that the FBI remains concerned about the potential for violence at protests and rallies in Washington and in state capitols around the country.