A rehearsal for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration scheduled for Sunday has been postponed due to security concerns in the nation’s capital, according to reports.
The rehearsal will be held Monday instead, Politico reported.
Security has been boosted across Washington, D.C. since the deadly riot earlier this month at the Capitol. The Capitol complex has been locked down, and more than 20,000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed ahead of the inauguration on Wednesday. More than a dozen D.C. Metro stations will be closed to the public in the days leading up to and following January 20.
The FBI has warned that armed protesters could demonstrate in both Washington, D.C. and state capitals around the country. The agency has observed “extensive” talk online suggesting the possibility of violence around Biden’s inauguration, FBI director Christopher Wray said.
“We’re concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in D.C. and at state capital buildings around the country in the days to come that could bring armed individuals within close proximity to government buildings and officials,” Wray said last week.
Biden’s team has also canceled an Amtrak trip Monday from Wilmington to Washington due to security concerns in the capital.
“In the week since the attack on Congress by a mob that included domestic terrorists and violent extremists, the nation has continued to learn more about the threat to our democracy and about the potential for additional violence in the coming days, both in the National Capital Region and in cities across the country. This is a challenge that the President-elect and his team take incredibly seriously,” the Biden transition team said in a statement.
Pro-Trump rioters attacked the Capitol building on January 6, breaking past security and into the building, where a joint session of Congress to certify the presidential election results was evacuated. The violence ended with five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
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