The FBI is concerned about terror attacks coming from within.
Following both the riot at the United States Capitol on January 6 and multiple reports of plans by armed supporters of President Donald Trump to march on President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, the FBI is taking every possible precaution to ensure Biden is sworn in without incident. Last week, over 25,000 members of the National Guard were brought to Washington to prepare for any possible attack. However, in the time since the riot, multiple current and former members of law enforcement and the military have been revealed to have participated in event, prompting fresh concerns among security staff that an attack on the President-Elect may come from within their own forces.
In an effort to preemptively halt any dangerous action against Biden, the FBI has resolved to vet all service members currently on station to ensure that none of them have any ties to dangerous militant groups.
“The Army is working with the FBI to vet all service members supporting the Inauguration National Special Security Event,” an Army official told NBC News on Sunday.
In order to vet the service members, the FBI will be running their names through their databases and watchlists to see if any of them have any notable crimes, misdemeanors, or otherwise concerning connections. Meanwhile, The Army and the Department of Justice are conducting their own separate investigations on a closer basis. US Capitol police have already suspended several officers, with at least 10 others currently under investigation.
Armed members of the #NationalGuard rest in the U.S. Capitol after being deployed to Washington, DC following last week's violent breach of the #CapitolBuilding 📷: Stefani Reynolds #USCapitol #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/JzwClcW8ho
— Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) January 13, 2021
Despite the scale of security, the National Guard has insisted that their presence isn’t anything unusual. “It’s a deterrence for anyone who wants to do bad things,” Lt. Col. Timothy Shubert said. “There’s always a chance at something getting stirred up. This is to keep people safe and understand that we’re here for the American people. That’s all it is.”