US President Donald Trump has said authorities were investigating an alleged plot involving about seven people aboard a plane last weekend carrying unspecified "gear" and aiming to "damage" the Republican Party's recent convention, but offered no evidence and gave few details.
In a Fox News interview that aired last night, Mr Trump initially said one person had boarded the plane from a city that he did not name, then said the plane was "completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that".
"There were like seven people on the plane like this person and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage," Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump did not say where the individuals departed from or whether they were headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Republican National Committee held some of its events ahead of the 3 November election, or to Washington, where Mr Trump accepted the party's nomination in a speech that controversially used the White House as a political backdrop.
Asked where the alleged incident occurred, Mr Trump declined to give a location, saying "it's under investigation".
Mr Trump is running for re-election on a "law and order" platform in the face of national opinion polls showing him trailing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
He also did not say which government agencies were investigating and did not specify what kind of "gear" the individuals were carrying or how they were able to board a plane headed to a US city.
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Biden calls on Trump to stop 'encouraging' violence
Representatives for the Federal Aviation Administration referred Reuters questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Department of Homeland Security also did not immediately respond.
It was also unclear if the alleged incident may have occurred on a commercial or other flight, and if anyone was arrested or charged.
Portland police presence bolstered amid protests
State police and law enforcement from neighbouring suburbs have been sent to Portland, Oregon, as tension mounts after a fatal shooting during clashes between supporters of US President Donald Trump and counter-protesters.
At the weekend, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler warned of an escalation of violence after seeing a flurry of social media posts vowing revenge for Saturday's shooting victim, identified by the right-wing Patriot Prayer militia group as one of its supporters.
Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, announced a plan on Sunday that she said would allow for peaceful protest while cracking down on lawlessness that has often accompanied the demonstrations.
The protests began after the 25 May killing of George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
"Every Oregonian has the right to freely express their views without fear of deadly violence. I will not allow Patriot Prayer and armed white supremacists to bring more bloodshed to our streets", Ms Brown said in a statement.
In addition to temporarily sending in state police troopers and officers from neighbouring jurisdictions, the FBI and federal prosecutors will add resources to prosecute criminal offenses stemming from protests, she said.
Portland's demonstrators, demanding reforms of police practices they view as racist and abusive, have frequently clashed with law enforcement and on occasion with counter-protesters associated with right-wing militia groups.
Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested, including 29 accused of taking part in an unlawful assembly on Sunday night.
Two of them were found with loaded handguns, while others were carrying knives and rocks, police said.
In July the Trump administration deployed federal forces to Portland to protect a US courthouse that has been the focus of violent protests and other federal property, drawing criticism that their presence only heightened the unrest.
The federal agents were later withdrawn.
Tension flared on Saturday night between a large caravan of demonstrators driving through the city in pickup trucks waving pro-Trump flags, and opposing protesters in the streets.
Video on social media showed individuals in the trucks firing paint-balls and chemical irritants at opposing demonstrators as they drove by, while those on the street hurled objects at the trucks and tried to block them.
Investigators have yet to say whether the fatal shooting grew out of those confrontations.
Police identified the victim yesterday as Aaron J Danielson, 39, of Portland, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Luke Carrillo, a longtime friend and business partner, told reporters Mr Danielson was a "proud American" but "was not a radical, not a racist, not a fascist". He called for all parties in Portland to "renounce any further acts of violence".
Mr Trump has seized on civil disturbances in Portland and other cities to blame state and local Democratic leaders as he amps up his calls for law and order ahead of the presidential election on 3 November.
"Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!" he wrote on Twitter yesterday.
The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their "Movement". It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don’t listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020
Democrats have countered that Mr Trump is stoking violence and racial strife with divisive rhetoric that has emboldened right-wing activists.
"This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country," Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said during a visit to Pittsburgh.
"He can't stop the violence - because for years he has fomented it."
