Two men arrested in alleged plot to attack Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia police are investigating an alleged plan to attack the center, where ballots are being counted.
Police thwarted an alleged plot to attack the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night (Nov. 5), where votes for the heavily contested state are still being counted. According to reports, Philadelphia officers received a tip about multiple armed individuals — possibly a family — who was on their way from Virginia to attack the ballot counting center.
The alleged attackers were reportedly driving a silver Hummer truck, which police found unoccupied and parked on a street near the convention center. Soon after, officers arrested two armed men, neither of which had a valid Pennsylvania permit to carry firearms. Another gun was found in the Hummer, police said.
The two men are currently facing firearm-related charges and an investigation into the alleged plot is being overseen by the Philadelphia Police Department and FBI.
According to ABC 6, police found a hat with a QAnon logo inside the car and a window sticker representing the far-right conspiracy group. QAnon has been labeled a domestic terror threat by the FBI.
The news arrives as the presidential battle for Pennsylvania enters its third day, with the margin between both candidates slimming. Joe Biden pulled ahead of Trump overnight in the state and — at the time of publishing — currently holds a 0.1 percent lead.
The Trump campaign’s lawsuit against Pennsylvania moved forward yesterday after the Republican criticized the integrity of the state’s voting process. An appellate court gave Trump’s poll observers closer access to election officials — which they had requested — but a federal court in Philadelphia denied the campaign’s request to pause ballot counting.
“There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can stand and what they can do. It applies to both parties equally,” Suzanne Almeida of Common Cause Pennsylvania said of the process. “Everyone has the exact same access. This is not about disadvantaging one party over another.”