The threat materializes further a few days before Joe Biden is sworn in.
A heavily armed man was arrested in Washington on Friday as he tried to pass one of the many checkpoints near the Capitol, according to a police report.
Wesley Allen Beeler, a native of Virginia, presented himself Friday evening at a checkpoint not far from the Capitol, details a police report consulted Saturday by AFP, confirming information from CNN.
The man was equipped with a fake accreditation for the inauguration of Joe Biden.
After police verification, his name was not on the list of guests allowed to enter the protected area since the violence on January 6, which triggered searches of his vehicle, reports The New York Times.
Pro-gun stickers
The police then found in his vehicle a loaded Glock pistol, 509 ammunition as well as 21 buckshot, according to the police quoted by the New York Times.
The man was arrested in the wake.
The reasons for his attempt to enter the Capitol area are not yet clear.
On his white pick-up, several stickers defended the right to carry weapons: “If they come to take your weapons, give them your bullets first.
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In reaction to the violent assault on Capitol Hill by pro-Trump supporters on January 6, Washington has in recent days taken on the appearance of an entrenched camp with its concrete blocks and barbed wire.
Authorities fear further unrest on the sidelines of Joe Biden's swearing-in, scheduled for January 20.
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Usually, the investiture ceremony is an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Americans to flock to the capital every four years, snatching up all kinds of derivative products bearing the effigy of their president, before to watch him take the oath on the steps of the Capitol.
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But the party will have a special taste this year: the “National Mall”, the immense esplanade at the foot of the Capitol, will be closed to the public.
Only duly accredited persons will be authorized to enter the area where thousands of soldiers are patrolling.