Security boosts up regarding oath ceremony

On the cusp of becoming president, Joe Biden pressed Monday for unity, while president Donald Trump remained secluded in the White House at the centre of a capital inundated with troops and security barriers.

When Biden takes the oath of office at noon on Wednesday, he will face a city under the protection of more than 20,000 National Guard soldiers.

Checkpoints and large zones closed to ordinary citizens mean there will be only a smattering of guests. Similar lockdowns have been imposed at state capitol buildings around the country where local authorities fear provocations from right-wing groups ahead of the inauguration.

The acting defence secretary said that the military and FBI was vetting the National Guard troopers, who carry automatic weapons, in case any of them posed a threat.

‘While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital,’ the official, Christopher Miller, said.