Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory may become more violent in the future, as the movement’s predictions fail to come true, the FBI said in an intelligence report that was released to the public on Monday.
The far-right conspiracy theory alleges that former President Donald Trump is engaged in a battle against a shadowy cabal of child sex traffickers, which is connected to members of the Democratic party and liberal figures in Hollywood. The “Q” in the theory’s name alludes to an anonymous online figure who outlined the supposed conspiracy on message boards.
The report, which was also jointly compiled with the Department of Homeland Security and requested by New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, says some QAnon supporters “will likely begin they can no longer ‘trust the plan’ referenced in QAnon posts and that they have an obligation to change from ‘digital soldiers’ towards engaging in real world violence.”
Many QAnon followers refuse to believe President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election against Trump. The slogan “trust the plan” refers to the day when Trump wll be reinstated as president and crack down on his enemies.
The FBI says the theory will be kept alive by the coronavirus pandemic, posts on social media, societal polarization in the US and the “frequency and content of pro-QAnon statements by public individuals who feature prominently in core QAnon narratives.”