It's pretty well accepted that conspiracy theorists are largely paranoid people, but the latest conspiracy theory that's making the rounds is a stretch, even for them.
This Saturday, the far-right will congregate for the "Justice for J6" rally.
The event, which is expected to call former President Donald Trump's supporters to action after their botched siege of the United States Capitol on January 6, is spearheaded by Matt Braynard, who previously worked as a Trump campaign operative.
But despite the fact that the rally was created, sponsored, and endorsed by the most extreme members of the far-right, conspiracy theorists are suggesting that the event is a secret government plot to arrest more people involved with the earlier Capitol attack.
The users who frequent far-right Facebook groups and extremist forums such as TheDonald and 4chan are urging others to stay far away from the event.
Although there is not a single shred of evidence that the federal government organized the event, paranoia and accusations have compromised these groups and their ability to organize openly.
Consider the following post, as noted by NBC News, from a user on TheDonald who suggested the event might be a "false flag":
"Now explain how we're supposed to protest without the FBI busting down your door and you ending up in a DC jail with no court date. I was at the Capitol on J6."
"Any protest after J6 is primed to be a false flag. And you can't talk about that 'next level' here either without the feds busting down your door."
Braynard, the event's organizer, has attempted to push back against this narrative, arguing voices on both sides of the aisle have a stake in disbanding the event.
"There are voices on the left and the right trying to discourage patriotic Americans from believing that the election system cannot be fixed, that voting doesn't matter, and that public demonstrations like ours are 'false flag attacks' and are futile."
The news garnered laughs on social media, prompting many to observe extremists are "scared" and rightfully so.
Earlier this week, Capitol security officials advised lawmakers and their staff to avoid the Capitol ahead of the rally to avoid a repeat of January 6.
A memo from House Sergeant at Arms William Walker encouraged lawmakers and staff to steer clear "Unless required to be onsite."
The memo states in the event someone must go to the Capitol, they should park in underground garages and access parts of the building using the underground tunnel system.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said it expects about 700 people to attend the rally.
According to to Melissa Smislova, the agency's deputy undersecretary for intelligence enterprise readiness, DHS tracked "publicly available information on protesters, U.S. Park Police permit applications for large gatherings and hotel reservations across the U.S." to get an idea of how many people to expect.
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