WASHINGTON – The U.S. Capitol will be on lockdown during inauguration day. More than 30 miles of anti-scale fencing has been erected at key locations in Washington, D.C. Thousands of National Guard troops will be on duty to support the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service will bring agents and other specialists from field offices across the country to provide a full slate of visible and invisible security measures,” said William McCool from the U.S. Secret Service.
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “We’re not tracking any specific or credible threats to the inauguration.”
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There will be several layers of security, including a pedestrian-restricted zone with 40 checkpoints. This zone covers the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and the National Mall. All vehicles will be checked for bombs or other weapons on three sides of the White House and west to Union Station. On the southwest corner of Washington, D.C., all roads will be closed along the Potomac River.
“We’re dealing with a threat landscape where terrorists, whether they be foreign, jihadist-inspired, or domestic terrorists or others, can move from radicalization to action quite quickly, often with very crude but still lethal attacks,” Wray said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also mentioned that the Secret Service, Homeland Security, and Capitol Police are taking the lead on inauguration security. “What I would tell you is that I have enormous confidence in the FBI’s men and women in our role as supporting the other agencies, which have the primary responsibility for securing the inauguration,” he added.
Visitors with questions about checkpoints and other security measures can find more information here.
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