A joint FBI-Homeland Security bulletin warns that extremists could be planning to incite chaos at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
Wednesday’s bulletin, titled “Potential For Violent or Criminal Action By Anarchist Extremists During The 2012 National Political Conventions,” warns that anarchists who “see both parties as the problem” could employ weapons like acid-filled eggs and Molotov cocktails to block roads and disable transit systems during the conventions, Fox News reports.
It is unlikely, however, that their methods will be able to overcome heightened security surrounding the conventions, the notice added.
The Republican National Convention is set to take place in Tampa, Fla. next week. Democrats will hold their event in Charlotte, N.C. the first week of September.
Tampa police announced Tuesday that they had found bricks and pipes on an area rooftop emblazoned with the “anarchist” anonymous symbol.
“Finding those items for us was not a surprise,” Police Chief Jane Castor said, according to WTVT-TV FOX 13. “We are just pleased to see the communications process worked the way it did.”
While there are concerns about violence, authorities expect most protesters to be peaceful.
“We have said all along that the vast majority of individuals coming to the Tampa Bay area to demonstrate will do so peacefully, but there is no doubt that there is a small percentage that will come bent on destruction and disruption, and those are the individuals that we will deal with very quickly,” Castor told Fox News on Tuesday.
Fox added that the Secret Service has designated each convention a “National Special Security Event” which requires federal, state and local law enforcement to coordinate their efforts.
