U.S. Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday (Jan. 20). The White House and other major buildings in Washington, including Capitol Hill, have been surrounded by fences and barbed wire and will be guarded by more than 20,000 armed National Guard troops. But U.S. defense officials are concerned that members of the National Guard chosen to secure Biden’s inauguration could launch an inside attack or threat, according to NBC.
U.S. defense officials say they are concerned that military personnel involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration could launch an insider attack or other threat, prompting the FBI to vet all 25,000 National Guard soldiers entering Washington for the event.
U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that officials are aware of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be aware of any problems within the ranks as the inauguration nears. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of a threat.
He and other military leaders conducted an exhaustive, three-hour security exercise in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration, and members of the Guard are still being trained on how to identify potential internal threats, McCarthy said in an interview. “We’re going through this process constantly and taking a second and third look at everyone assigned to this operation.”
AFP reports that in the past, Washington has usually been packed with hundreds of thousands of supporters, celebrities and lobbyists before the inauguration of a U.S. president. But this time, before the big day when Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, downtown Washington was eerily quiet, with most external traffic in the wider city center closed and major bridges into the city to be closed for two days. Security officials are preparing for any threats that Biden and his supporters may face.
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