Anxiety over Joe Biden’s safety at inauguration as defense officials say they fear “an inside attack”
Defense officials have told The Associated Press that they fear a “possible inside attack” at Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
The AP quoted them as saying that they are now having National Guard troops vetted over those fears.
“We’re continually going through the process, and taking a second and third looks at everyone of the individuals assigned to this operation,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday.
He said Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential insider threats.
“U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event,” the AP reported.
The medium added: “The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance.”
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.
