Police and federal law enforcement in Philadelphia are investigating after taking two armed men into custody near the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where ballots are still being counted in the too-close-to-call 2020 presidential election.
Philadelphia police said that they were armed with guns, who had allegedly driven into the city in a Hummer with Virginia license plates. Police did not say what their intentions were.
The FBI and Philadelphia Police are investigating, and charges against both men are pending.
News of the arrests comes after WPVI-TV reported police had thwarted a potential plot to attack the convention center involving a Hummer and an armed group traveling from Virginia.
One of the men might not have had a permit to carry a firearm, and they allegedly gave police information about another vehicle nearby. It was unoccupied, but had long guns in it.
TRUMP'S PENNSYLVANIA LEAD DWINDLES AS LEGAL FIGHT HEATS UP OVER PHILADELPHIA POLL WATCHERS
The ongoing ballot count in Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia in particular, has eroded President Trump’s lead over former Vice President Joe Biden in the state.
On Wednesday, Trump was leading Biden by hundreds of thousands of votes in Pennsylvania. Just before midnight Thursday, the president’s lead shrank to around 24,000.
The election could hinge on the outcome there, with 20 Electoral College votes at stake.
The Trump campaign has filed at least five lawsuits in Pennsylvania as of Thursday in connection with disputed ballots and deadlines. And during a news conference Thursday afternoon, he questioned the validity of the remaining uncounted ballots in several cities in particular, including Philadelphia.
Election Assistance Commission Chairman Ben Hovland, a Trump appointee, called the statements from the president’s appearance “harmful to our democracy.”
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“I think the processing we are seeing is normal,” he said. “The reason some of this is taking a while is the security measures that are in place to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of the vote.”
FOX Business' Grady Trimble and Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.
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