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The National Guard was told to be on the lookout for improvised explosive devices after the Defense Ministry received a credible threat assessment Wednesday that armed protesters were planning to disrupt events surrounding the presidential inauguration elected Joe Biden.
WASHINGTON SECURITY PREPARING AT HIGH SPEED FOR INAUGURATION
Members of the National Guard gather on Capitol Hill Jan.12. Photo credit: Chris Kleponis / Sipa USA
Officials increased the number of National Guard members who will be deployed to Washington during the presidential inauguration from 15,000 to 20,000 on Wednesday, more than three times the number of US troops currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
The preparation for Wednesday’s security briefing is the same that troops receive prior to being deployed to Baghdad or Kabul, a senior defense official who is involved in planning security measures for the event. Most members of the National Guard will be armed with standard M4 rifles.
The inauguration comes exactly two weeks after insurgents stormed the Capitol while lawmakers held a joint session to certify that the constituency votes for Biden in the presidential election. Five people, including a US Capitol Police officer, died in the unprecedented attack on January 6.
VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD ACCEPTS DONATIONS, TROOP CARE PACKAGES IN WASHINGTON, DC
National Guardsmen are seen Wednesday, January 13, 2021 on a fence erected to enhance security at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo / Shafkat Anowar)
On the same day, the Washington, DC bomb squad responded to reports that several IEDs, resembling homemade bombs, had been found near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. No arrests were made in connection with the incident.
The FBI said agents were also on high alert ahead of inauguration day, warning that armed groups had planned to stage a “huge uprising” to protest Biden’s presidency.
Platoons of National Guard members patrol outside the Capitol’s newly fenced perimeter a week before the events, with hundreds of soldiers spread across the Capitol lawn, many with duffel bags awaiting instructions.
Hundreds of National Guard soldiers gather inside the Capitol to beef up security on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, as the House votes to impeach President Trump for inciting a mob to storm the building last week. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
Public access to the inauguration, which had already been curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be further limited. City officials are erecting a perimeter throughout the downtown area, erecting barriers around the White House, National Mall and the Capitol. In order to walk the perimeter, people will need to provide proof of their essential purpose.
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Fox News has been informed that Home Secretary David Bernhardt, appointed by Trump, has yet to agree to cancel protests scheduled from now until the inauguration despite a request from DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who extended the number of days the inauguration will be considered a national security event.
Megan Henney of Fox News contributed to this report.
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