State Dept feared violent protests at US embassies after Trump tweets: report

The State Department was worried about potential protests at United States embassies in the Middle East after President Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos, according to a CNN report published Thursday.

Officials with the State Department told the news network that embassies in the region were on high alert Wednesday, but no episodes of violence have been reported yet.

{mosads}”It didn’t manifest in anything actionable, but it was a big concern,” an official told CNN. “We saw in Cairo and other places that simply posting something on the internet, even if nothing was intended by it, could have real consequences.”

The network also confirmed that the White House was made aware of the fears of protests. Protests occurred in 2012 at U.S. diplomatic facilities in the region.

The State Department declined to comment when contacted by The Hill.

Concerns were raised after Trump on Wednesday retweeted videos purporting to show violent acts committed by Muslims. The videos were originally posted by Jayda Fransen, a leader with the far right British nationalist group Britain First.

The White House defended Trump’s sharing of the videos on Wednesday, with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling reporters that “the threat is real” from Islamic extremists regardless of whether or not the videos are authentic.