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Two members of the US Army National Guard will be removed from the security mission to secure the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.
An army officer and a senior US intelligence official said the two National Guard members had been found to have links to militias from right-wing fringe groups.
No plot against Biden was found.
The Army officer and intelligence officer spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to Department of Defense media regulations.
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They did not say to which fringe group the Guard members belonged or in which unit they served.
Matt Slocum / AP
Security is tight ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Thursday (NZT).
Contacted by AP on Tuesday, the National Guard Office referred questions to the United States Secret Service and said: “Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process or the outcome of the investigation process for military members supporting the inauguration. “.
The Secret Service told the AP on Monday it would not comment on whether any National Guard members had been removed from the inauguration for operational security reasons.
When Chief Justice John Roberts brings President-elect Joe Biden into the oath of office, security will be unusually tight after the January 6 riot in the US Capitol and the inaugural events will be reduced due to to the coronavirus pandemic.
