Political protesters who threaten elected officials or turn violent are easier for law enforcement officials to track due to their vocal and high profile statements on the internet and their association with the Tea Party.
Federal officials said it is easy to connect the dots between Tea Party members who espouse violence through their online postings, email and threatening behavior at rallies.
"Monitoring people who pose real threats to elected officials has become easier," said an FBI source who could not be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the press. "We are looking at people who are traveling, purchasing weapons and conspiring to commit acts of violence."
One Tea Party leader in Va., complained to the state Attorney General for alleged harassment by the FBI, Secret Service and state police. Nigel Coleman wrote a letter detailing the alleged behavior at a Tea Party rally last summer. Read the letter here
Nigel Coleman was one of the Tea Party members who posted the address of Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va) online and invited people to "visit" the official at his home. The address was actually Perriello's brother Bo. A severed gas line at the home was discovered one day after the address was made public.
Other acts of violence include a white powder substance mailed to Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) on Thursday causing the evacuation of his Queens office building and the decontamination of nine employees by the New York Emergency Services vehicle.
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) reported being threatened "for being a Jew" and his Va., office workers reported shots being fired at the building. One bullet was shot through an office window last week.
Around the country there have been acts of violence including throwing bricks through windows at Democratic campaign offices and buildings.
The Capitol Police and FBI have added extra security to 10 members of Congress who have received "credible death threats," in recent weeks.
As the rhetoric about health care reform reached frivolous heights in the conservative media, some people ratcheted up their protest language.
Last week Chris Reichert of Ohio threw dollar bills at a man with Parkinson's Disease at a Tea Party health care protest. The video of his act went viral on the web and on Thursday, Reichert apologized for his behavior and expressed fear and regret for the incident in a Columbus Dispatch news report.
The FBI is asking citizens to report information to their local FBI field offices or to contact the police if a crime is imminent.
