Ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday, the American capital has been virtually turned into a garrison city, amidst multiple reports of threats and more armed violence by pro-Trump supporters to disrupt the official ceremonies.
In the aftermath of last week’s Capitol riots, Washington D.C.Is preparing for the scaled down inauguration of the 46th US President with extreme security measures – closing roads, erecting barbed wire fences and deploying more than 25,000 National Guards along with thousands of local police personnel and those from other security agencies. The area in and around Capitol Hill, a large part of Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House has been made out of bounds for the general public with eight-feet high iron barricades being erected.
US Marshals are deploying 4,000 officers to Washington D.C. Major parts of the majestic National Mall, which during the inauguration is usually thronged by thousands of people, have been closed off. The entire city is on high-alert as authorities are receiving multiple reports of violent threats from various groups at the level of the incident that happened on January 6 — when hundreds of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill, disrupting the constitutional process of certification of electoral college votes.
The unprecedented violence forced hundreds of lawmakers to take shelter at safe locations within the iconic building amidst vandalism by the mob. At least five people, including a police officer, died in the incident. Despite the heightened security concerns, Biden plans to go ahead with the inauguration ceremony in its traditional location.
In addition to converting downtown Washington D.C. Into a fortress, security in and around 50 State Capitols has also been put on high alert to ensure a peaceful transition of power.