Who Was Researching Tunnels Under Capitol Just Before January 6?
Here's something we bet we might be hearing more about in the future, about what led to the Capitol attacks on January 6 by terrorists inspired by Donald Trump's fascist Big Lie. There have been rumors and stories here and there about people maybe possibly getting inappropriate tours of the Capitol on the days preceding the attack, but nothing concrete has emerged from that yet.
But the NBC affiliate in DC reports that there's a little-known website full of data and info about the labyrinths below the district, including the network of tunnels under the Capitol and surrounding buildings, and that the site had the most alarming spike in traffic, which came from the strangest sources, on the days just before January 6.
The guy who runs the site called the FBI:
Elliot Carter, who operates the site, worried people were covertly seeking escape routes or entry points to the Capitol ahead of the electoral college count in January.
That concern about web traffic to WashingtonTunnels.com eventually made its way to leadership of U.S. Capitol Police, the News4 I-Team has learned.
"These people were suddenly obsessed with the Capitol building," Carter said.
They were used to seeing traffic for the site from DC and the surrounding areas. It was when the hyperlinks started coming in, from about New Year's forward, from batshit far-right Trump conspiracy theory message boards and similar sites, that alarms started to go off. Or as the DC NBC affiliate puts it, it was links from "anonymous message boards, sites and forums named after militias or firearms, or using Donald Trump's name." You know, the worst parts of the internet. By January 4, according to NBC 4 Washington, there was a link to the site on Twitter.
More about what's on this website:
The site, which has a narrow but devoted following among D.C.-area history and city planning buffs, includes maps and details of the underground transit rail system, along with water and sewer systems.
Carter has also included maps of the unique and heavily traveled underground tunnels on the Hill, which connect the Capitol building to House and Senate Office Buildings, the Library of Congress and the Capitol Visitor Center.
Maybe unfuckable MAGA deplorables are just really into the history of city planning. (They're such "The More You Know" types, after all.) Or, you know, maybe some of them were doing some kind of reconnaissance or research to get ready for their big attack on January 6.
So dude told the FBI and the Capitol Police eventually found out. But the Capitol Police says in a statement that none of the intel they had amounted to "specific, credible intelligence" about the type of attack that actually ended up taking place.
Sounds like something for Nancy Pelosi's select committee on the January 6 attacks to investigate fully.
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