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Two US officials have confirmed that 12 US Army National Guard members have been removed from the presidential inauguration security mission. The move came after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online. They said there was no threat to President-elect Joe Biden. The officials (a senior intelligence official and an Army official) briefed on the matter, but they didn’t say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in. Their termination from the massive security presence at the nation’s capital came as the FBI worked to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops headed to the area for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. Point to be noted that the US defense officials have been worried about a potential insider attack or other threat from service members.

On Monday, the Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller issued a statement. He said that vetting of National Guard troops continues and the Pentagon has found no intelligence so far that would indicate an insider threat. Washington has been on edge since the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, which has prompted extraordinary security measures ahead of Biden’s inauguration. A fire in a homeless camp roughly a mile from the Capitol complex prompted a lockdown on Monday during a rehearsal for the inauguration. US Secret Service tightened security in and around the Capitol days earlier. The city center is essentially on lockdown with streets blocked, high fencing installed, and tens of thousands of troops & law enforcement officers stationed around the area.

The US Federal law enforcement officials have also been wary of increased surveillance of military and law enforcement checkpoints and other positions after National Guard troops reported people taking pictures and recording them. The Secret Service issued a bulletin over the weekend about what it sees as an uptick in National Guard troops posting pictures and details of their operations online. The bulletin said, “No service members should be posting locations, pictures or descriptions online regarding current operations or the sensitive sites they are protecting and urged them to stop immediately”. A spokesperson for the Secret Service issued a statement and said, “It does not comment on matters of protective intelligence. Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process or the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration”.