With potential violent unrest ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the FBI in Atlanta on Friday said it has deployed bomb technicians, tactical teams, special agents and other personnel to “help combat threats of violence to our state Capitol, federal buildings and communities.”

“At this time, FBI Atlanta has not received any specific and substantiated threats to the capitol or other government buildings in Georgia,” FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said. “However, we are working together with our law enforcement partners to continuously share information based on tips submitted by the public.”

He said the FBI has set up a command post to gather intelligence and coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement about any potential threats.

“Between now and the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, we will be maintaining a heightened posture to monitor for any emerging threats to the area,” Rowson said. “Our efforts are focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity.”

A flyer circulating for the homeless in downtown Atlanta offers shelter to them and says, “Protests and demonstrations are expected near the State Capitol and City of Atlanta government buildings.”

Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this week warned against people causing harm in Georgia.

“As you know, we welcome peaceful protests,” Kemp said at a Tuesday news conference. “But let me be clear: Lawbreaking like we saw last week will not be tolerated here. Period.”

He added, “I think our threat level that we are seeing and hearing in regards to the Georgia State Capitol seem to be very low at this point in time. But we are taking nothing for granted.”

Georgia has been at the epicenter of the political universe in recent months after Biden defeated President Trump by about 12,000 votes, the first time a Democrat won Georgia since 1992.

Trump and his allies launched a disinformation campaign in the weeks afterward, claiming without evidence the election was stolen. Trump even called Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to pressure him to overturn the state’s election results — an effort the state’s top election official rejected.

Georgia was thrust into the national spotlight again when Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the Jan. 5 runoffs, tipping control of the U.S. Senate to the Democratic Party.

A supporter of the far-right Proud Boys group  was arrested this week after authorities said he threatened to kill Warnock.

It is that backdrop — and a long history of active militias in Georgia — that has experts on edge.

"It's people who have been fed a steady diet of disinformation from the Trump administration for the last four years," said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. "They always kind of bought into it, anyway. They're anti-government militias for a reason."

Brooks said there are at least 20 different active militia groups in Georgia. One notable group is the Three Percenters, which has at least 50 members. She said these militias' claims shouldn't be taken lightly.

"I do believe that the militia would try to overcome whatever law enforcement presence was at the Capitol," she said. "I mean, that that they'll definitely do that because the Jan. 6th event kind of inspired and encouraged it."

The recent crackdown on far-right social media networks across the web has created an unintended consequence for organizations like SLPC trying to monitor those groups, as it has forced the militiants' conversations into the "dark" where it is harder to monitor.

"We advocated for deplatforming, but now it's left us blind a little bit," Brooks said.

Tags: Atlanta  Georgia  protest  Savannah  Macon  militias  Capitol breach