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Scott Iskowitz / AP
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, left, and convention CEO William Harris unveil the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention on Monday in Tampa, Fla.
A federal law enforcement bulletin "assesses with high confidence" that extremists from anti-government anarchist groups will try to use violence with the aim of disrupting both political conventions.
That assessment, it says, is based on what has happened at similar high-profile events.
The analysis, sent this week to local police organizations nationwide by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, says these groups "probably lack the capability to overcome the heightened security measures" around actual convention facilities but could target businesses or means of transportation nearby. Most of what these groups do, the bulletin says, involves vandalism, trespassing and attempts to block roads. But it says they're becoming more interested in trying to use explosives.
The Republican national convention is scheduled to run Monday through next Thursday in Tampa, Fla. The assessment says the FBI picked up information in mid-March indicating that some anarchists from New York were planning to go to Tampa in hopes of closing "all the Tampa Bay-area bridges" during the convention, although it doesn't say how they planned to do it.
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Though the bulletin makes no mention of Tropical Storm Isaac, it says that "inclement weather and effective crowd control" could deter the actions of these groups.
Isaac was in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday and expected to pass south of Puerto Rico. Some computer models showed Isaac moving parallel to Florida's western coastline, passing Tampa on Monday.
Pete Williams is NBC News' chief justice correspondent.
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Leave a Comment:
It must be all those Tea Party nutcakes who are going to riot. They'll probably disrupt the peace by being polite and picking up their litter - how's a cop supposed to earn a living with those wackos around?
David....also the tea party people are NOT the ones having sex in the streets and using the sidewalks for a toilet.
I think they are confused....those people are just TEA party delegates not anarchists, though it is hard to tell the difference.
Ever since the Occupy Wall Street fad has faded is there really anything to worry the GOP Candidates.
Will mittens romney be passing out magic underwear to all the dimwits who are going to vote for him. romney is a big joke.
Anarchists, the new name for homegrown terroristic protestors.
creamcheesepuff, new name for an idiot, obviously.
More from the OCCUPUNK movement?
Maybe the FEDS can hire that sissy dana white to sort things out. Dana is good at trying to act tough even though he is a big sissy. Why is dana terrified of Chael Sonnen? He must have nightmares of Chael dangling him from the Brooklyn Bridge.
I am sick of this Country (United States) always pointing the finger at other Country's that use force to stop these Anarchists. The United States is only backing themselves into a corner. Now if we use force and we should use force to stop this, we look like hypocrites. Now, the way to deal with this situation is to say to the World, we understand your problems. Then we the people (U.S. Government) need to take out these Anarchist's when they start Rioting, Burning, Looting, hurting good Citizens etc., and creating Chaos. They need to be shot on the spot, period. If they were doing it because of Obama I would understand, because Obama is trying to destroy this Country. However, that is not the reason they are doing this, they themselves want to destroy this Country. So, you deal with them the only way you can, shoot them on site when you catch them doing any of the things I mentioned above. They are breaking the law in a big way, and Law enforcement should be able to act
China got tired of all the opium users, decided to clean up society it was so out of hand, so they executed them all. . . worked like a charm. You are so right. These anarchist's should be dealth with swiftly for the sake of our country. I don't like thinking like this, but it DOES look like the only option for the country to survive.
RADDAR and Concerned Citizen-6638481, you DO realize that what you are asking for is a. precisely what the anarchists/ patriots/etc. want, b. would lead to civil war, c. lead to the uprising of a global dictatoriship, d. lead to move government corruption, e. lead to more government incompetence, f. lead to more and more Constitutional rights being taken away, and g. lead to a global polie state, right? Think before you speak, people!
Do you realize that is EXACTLY what Obama wants? A civil unrest so he can use Executive Order to stop the election in November. Nothing would make Obama happier. He will do anything to stop the election and declare himself president. Only civil unrest can do that.
Oh Dear Truthteller, re-read it. . . I said I don't like thinking like this. My thought is that the problems need to be addressed. . . .within our constitution. Not some slap happy group that thinks they can save America by
disreputable means. It must be by the laws of our land.
Co-Co , no president has ever wanted that, and I don't believe Obama does either.Nor do our candidates. If you truly in your heart of hearts believe that. . . I have some land I want to sell you the Atlantic ocean, prime property. Civil unrest is not what a person should want simply because in this days the world, it's different, used to be "Give Peace a Chance" now it's " I don't agree, so I think I'll blow things up and kill people". Todays idea of protest is to intimidate others. It's wrong as wrong can be.
It's gotta make the hair on the back of your neck stand up a little when you realize that today's anarchists are yesterdays republicans
...actually, observations deem otherwise...today's anarchists are kids & grandkids of 1960's hippies.
Policy should be - Use violence, eat a bullet.
Are they talking about Ron Paul supporters?
Anarchists attempting to disrupt political conventions - now there's a news flash.
Remember when the Chicago Police disrupted the Democratic Convention? - that was powerful anarchy !!
wasnt it a young dan rather that got rolled by the pork
I lived there then, it wasn't the police that disrupted the convention. What happened was the protesters didn't have a permit. . . they were told they couldn't congregate without the usual requirement. . .the warning was in the Chicago news for that day to warn the public of a possible safety issue if they came in protest. . . .they did anyway. . .when the police showed up the protesters decided to head into the convention. . . the rest is history.
So. . .they were warned of the law. . . ignored the law. . . and well . . . .that's it basically.
Another useless, bogus and "all bones - no meat" article from an overpaid puppet from the former clinton admin [aka, Circus]. He is as useless now as he was then.
Hurricane Isaac should drown a few of those leftist, liberal anarchists.
TOTAL BS from the Federal Government - as usual - this is just a way to preposition the story that the thousands of Americans who are FED UP with our corporately owned government and will be here protesting are really "Anarchists". If there is VIOLENCE - it's federal agents planted among the protesters to start something and justify MORE police brutality. PS dear feds I think the last time there were such a thing as anarchists was around the time there were bolsheviks - say 1918.
Yas... you might have something there. Since we found that the Obama people and unions PAID OWSers to protest they might pick up the same fools and send them to Florida and blame it on the anarchists. Good thinking.
When something actually happens ... then its news.
Until then, best to remember that political meetings have been disrupted, in one way or another, since this country was formed.
No news here.
it felt I was reading a history book in class
except they were revolutionists
This is more corporate propaganda - there are no Anarchists, but there are a lot of patriotic Americans who are sick of seeing their country sold to rich scumbags. Those people will be here protesting. But count on it- if you DO see violence it's PLANTS from the Feds starting it to justify more police state style repression of free speech. Also, HEY, OLD CORPORATE PROPAGANDISTS - The Anarchy movement peaked around the Russian Revolution--- you need to make up some fresh boogeymen.
A new definition of anarchist should be submitted to the dictionary: CLOWN
Somebody has to tell them how pathetic they are, might as well be me.
uhhh
I dont think even you looked it up
I'm just saying
Wry humor that's all. Should have added a wink. . . . ;-
Dress some agent provocateurs in anarchist clothing with a bandana and get support for Fascism. We have seen the cops do this before and will see it again
yup
They will keep doing it until they turn the country over to the big banks then they will be of no use to the NWO. Maybe we should do like Iceland did when the banks wanted them to bail them out there.
What DID Iceland do to the banks in that situation, Bob - 2089091? Please inform me of the answer that the government of Iceland gave to the banks. Thank you.
Few live bullets, little blood and the anarchists will run away. Problem solved. I cannot stand these lowlife morons and just wish people would take a stand and off some of them.
your elected officials?
Could be because the Feds are in charge of setting it up
Reopen one of the federal prisons no longer in use, up the penalities for crossing state lines to commit violence and make it a federal offense, take some of the DOJ lawyers off the suits regarding voter ID and drop these characters off for a year or so. Then see how happy they are to do it again. Right now many fill the county jail and are fined a small amount and released only to move on to the next city to do it over and over again. The reason they riot is that the penalties are a joke.. make the penalties an unjoke to stop them from laughing at the law.
This would be a surprising news story if the stupid New York liberals were NOT expected to blow stuff up. When have those freaks ever peacefully and legally protested?
Make me laugh. Tampa Bay Bridge connects St.Pete and Tampa, not the rest of the state. That isn't the only way into Tampa.
Why don't we shoot the a holes like they do in other countries
Now your cooking with gas, maybe you'll get lucky and see some of our own citizens get slaughtered by security like in S.Africa. (freak)
dikhed, apt moniker, sure lets have a real rooten-tooten shoot out on the streets of Tampa, lots of red meat for the conservatives. What absolute irresponsible advocacy of a for sure dikhed.