WASHINGTON – The Secret Service and federal law enforcement agencies are spending the final days of the Trump administration bracing for a possible violent assault against the Jan. 20 inauguration, launching a security mobilization that will be unlike any in modern U.S. history.
On Wednesday, the Secret Service will take command of security preparations at the U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings, backed by as many as 20,000 National Guard troops, thousands of police and tactical officers, and layers of eight-foot-tall steel fencing.
The high-alert security posture is starting six days earlier than planned to coordinate roles for the FBI, National Guard, U.S. marshals and a host of federal agencies that will fall under Secret Service command.
Updated on January 13, 2021 at 6:26 pm
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Fencing topped with razor wire surrounds the U.S. Capitol, gates of the official Vice-Presidential residence have been reinforced with concrete and hundreds of armed National Guard troops have arrived to secure Washington, D.C., ahead of Inauguration Day.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned of threats to D.C., including to lawmakers and federal monuments, and the possibility of armed groups demonstrating in the city before and on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. Download our NBC Washington app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
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