Statehouses, US capital brace for potentially violent week

Statehouses, US capital brace for potentially violent week
Members of the Washington National Guard stand at a sundial near the Legislative Building, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Source: AP
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Daily US Times: The threat of extremist groups descending on statehouses across the United States in demonstrations Sunday prompted governors in many states to roll out a massive show of force and ramp up security, less than two weeks after a violent mob overran the nation’s Capitol.

Fencing, boarded-up windows and lines of National Guard troops and police have transformed grounds of the statehouses ahead of expected demonstrations and gatherings leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

The heightened security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that occurred at the US Capitol on January 6, when a pro-Trump mob swarmed the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of the potential for armed protests at the country’s Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend. Some social media messages had targeted Sunday for demonstrations, though it is not clear how many people might show up.

Security in the nation’s capital has intensified ahead of the inauguration event. Tall fencing surrounds the US Capitol, the National Mall is closed to the general public, and the District of Columbia’s mayor asked people not to visit. Some 25,000 National Guard troops from across the country were due in Washington DC by early in the week. On Sunday, National Guard troops who have already arrived in the city were stationed outside the Capitol with officers from the Customs and Border Protection as well as other federal police.

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