(ETH) – A new report is indicating that defense officials in Washington, D.C., have revealed that there are concerns of a coordinated insider attack from service members that have recently been deployed to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
According to the report, the situation has prompted the FBI to vet all 25,000 National Guard troops in the city, Fox News has learned. The report details that the U.S. Army recently issued a statement indicating that it is currently working with the Secret Service to determine if any of the service members on hand need additional background screening and that all service members are familiar with the Threat Awareness and Reporting Program,
which “requires department personnel to report any information regarding known or suspected extremist behavior that could be a threat to the department or the U.S.” The extreme measures have been implemented following the riot at the Capitol earlier this month that left five dead and dozens arrested.
The number of National Guard members deployed is from 20-25k, which is more than three times the number of U.S. troops that are currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has reportedly warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. McCarthy and other leaders stated that they have not seen any evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn’t flagged any issues that they were aware of.
