Trump inauguration on January 20th and 2nd other activities, Washington adds security measures

The first event will be held Monday, when the new Congress meets to determine the outcome of the presidential election, four years after the January 6th 2021 riots in the Capitol.

The second event will be the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, starting with ceremonies starting Tuesday and ending Thursday.

The last event will be January 20th, when President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated.

It never happened before. We have three activities (special national security) within a period of 15 days”, Matt McCool, from the office in Washington and the Secret Service told reporters Friday.

But I want to tell you that we fit in. We've been working on such activities for years. So we'll be prepared”, he said.

Despite concerns created after the attack on New Orleans and the explosion in Las Vegas, security officials so far are confident that activities in Washington will develop safely.

We do not have any reliable or concrete threat to these activities”, said David Sundberg, assistant director at the FBI office in Washington.

Law enforcement and security agencies have taken added measures, keeping in mind that the city and region are facing a more dangerous environment.

The Secret Service said Friday it was bringing agents from around the country to increase the presence, which was still at the highest level of the last three years.

The Metropolitan Department of Washington Police said it has added about 40,000 police officers from different departments from around the country.

The capital's National Guard confirmed that it has approved requirements for further support, including the deployment of 500 other members of the guard, for the Certificate of elections on January 6th, and liaison officers for the state funeral.

An additional request for 7,800 other soldiers from the guard is being considered to ensure the inauguration of President-elect Trump.

“A host of security measures, visible and invisible, will be taken into co-ordination to ensure the functioning of the comprehensive plan”, said Secret Service agent McCool.

Washington police announced that increased security measures take effect Sunday. Specialised officers will be deployed throughout the city to be on alert in case of an emergency.

Capitol police, which has 2,400 officers and civil servants responsible for protecting the Capitol and members of Congress, announced that it is already better prepared for emergencies, compared to four years ago. / VOA