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National Guards in Washington: 25,000 National Guard forces are to secure Joe Biden's swearing-in on Wednesday
Photo: Ken Cedeno / imago images / UPI Photo
Shortly before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, the American security authorities tightened the security precautions for the ceremony.
Now the national guards who are supposed to secure the procedure are also being checked for extremist connections.
The Washington Post reports.
25,000 of them are expected in Washington by Wednesday.
After the violent assault on the Capitol on January 6, indications of some rioters' links with the US military emerged.
As reported by the Washington Post, 21 of the participants in the action had a military background.
Of the 72 people arrested in this connection, 11 had a military past.
The civilian head of the US Army, Ryan McCarthy, confirmed to the AP news agency that the military is aware of the potential danger.
Everyone involved will be thoroughly checked.
The FBI is conducting a screening in which all the names of the National Guardsmen are compared with entries in various databases.
So far, however, there have been no specific threats from within our own ranks.
Biden team holds on to ceremony
Usually the inaugurations of the US presidents are attended by crowds of spectators who flock to the capital from all parts of the country.
This year, central Washington is like a fortress: metal fences, concrete barricades and police checkpoints have been erected to protect the Capitol, the White House and other federal buildings.
There is great concern about a follow-up action to the riots on January 6th.
Nevertheless, the team of the future US President Biden is sticking to the swearing-in ceremony in front of the Capitol, as a spokeswoman told ABC News on Sunday.
After the events of the past few weeks, this is an "incredibly important" picture of the resilience of American democracy.
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zob / dpa