US officials cite potential for violence at GOP convention

Top national security officials testified on Capitol Hill on Thursday that they are anxious about the prospect of violence descending on the Republican and Democratic national conventions over the next two weeks.

A week later, a similar number will gather in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Democrats will crown Hillary Clinton as their partys presidential candidate.

Johnson said, “I am concerned about the prospect of demonstrations getting out of hand. And I’m confident that here in Cleveland we have that”, Clancy said. He told lawmakers that roughly 4,000 USA government personnel will be based in Cleveland to ensure the safety of people there.

“Anytime theres a national spotlight on a political event in the United States, theres a risk that groups that aspire…to engage in acts of domestic terrorism will be attracted, ” FBI Director James Comey said during congressional testimony.

In a year when multiple clashes erupted at protests and rallies for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, worries over convention violence have been heightened.

Security concerns in Cleveland are compounded by Ohios status as an open-carry state, meaning anyone with a legally permitted gun may carry it openly. The Secret Service also plans to build a high-security perimeter surrounding Quicken Loans Arena – the main convention site – that will include concrete barriers and metal fences.

According to reports, organizers and law enforcement have considered large vehicles, such as the one used to wreck such carnage in Nice, as potential threats to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland nearly since organizers began planning for the event.

“We have been planning and preparing for both conventions now for a year”, he added.

Security has ramped up in the last week, following the deadly shooting of five Dallas police officers. “I also believe that most people recognize that the shooter in Dallas is not representative of the broader movement to see change in certain law enforcement practices”, he said. In that incident, which occurred on Bastille Day, over 80 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a man turned his tractor trailer into a weapon, driving it through a crowd of holiday revelers.

CLEVELAND- People are pouring into downtown Cleveland as we get closer to the start of the Republican National Convention.