[ad_1]
WASHINGTON: The FBI has warned of possible armed protests being planned for Washington, DC and in all 50 US state capitals in the lead up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, said a federal law enforcement source on Monday (Jan 11). ).
Threatened with further violence by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump following the assault on the Capitol last Wednesday, the FBI issued warnings for next weekend and it will run through at least Inauguration Day, the source said.
In other measures to safeguard the American capital, the National Guard was authorized to send up to 15,000 soldiers to Washington and tourists were prohibited from visiting the Washington Monument until January 24.
The head of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, told reporters that he expected about 10,000 soldiers in Washington on Saturday to help provide security, logistics and communications.
He said the number could rise to 15,000 if requested by local authorities.
READ: US Capitol Police Chief to resign after protesters stormed building, reports say
At least one lawmaker asked the Pentagon to do more.
Senator Chris Murphy, who said he would send a letter to the acting defense secretary on Monday, said it was unclear whether the National Guard would be sufficient to protect the nation’s capital and that active duty troops might also be needed.
“I’m not afraid to take the oath outside,” Biden told reporters in Newark, Delaware, referring to the traditional setting for the swearing-in ceremony on the grounds of the Capitol building. But he said it was vitally important that people “who participated in sedition and threatened people’s lives, disfigured public property and caused great damage” are held accountable.
Biden’s inaugural committee said Monday that the theme of the Jan. 20 ceremony will be “America united.” Trump said last week that he would not attend the ceremony, a decision the president-elect supported.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT CLOSED FOR TOURS
The Park Service said it would suspend tours of the Washington Monument, an obelisk honoring the nation’s first president, due to security concerns over threats to disrupt the inauguration.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser asked the US Department of the Interior to cancel permits for public gatherings until January 24. “This inaugural planning period has to be very different from all the others,” he told reporters on Monday.
In a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf made public Sunday, Bowser called for a new approach to security after what he called the “unprecedented terrorist attack” last week.
Bowser asked Wolf to extend the period of the National Special Safety Event from Monday to January 24. The Secret Service directs security operations for events, including presidential inaugurations, considered of national importance.
Wolf said in a statement that he had instructed the Secret Service to begin operations of the National Special Security Event for the inauguration starting on January 13, rather than on January 19 as previously scheduled.
READ: FBI offers bounties for details of those behind Washington pipeline bombs
The assault on the Capitol, which challenged Biden’s certification of victory in the November election, sent lawmakers underground and left five dead. Dozens of people have been charged for the violence and hundreds more cases are expected.
Despite the evidence of a fair election, Trump has challenged the validity of Biden’s substantial victory. Democrats in Congress began lobbying Monday to force Trump to resign, introducing an article of impeachment accusing him of inciting insurrection.
The presidential inaugural committee and Bowser have told Americans not to travel to the inauguration, saying that Washington’s National Mall will be covered with 191,500 flags of varying sizes, to represent the missing crowds.
A US presidential inauguration traditionally draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the US capital, but ceremonies have been drastically reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
