Twelve National Guard members pulled from Joe Biden’s inauguration over right-wing ties and extremist views
- US officials did not reveal which fringe group the troops belonged to, but said there was no threat to the president-elect
- The FBI has warned that members of right-wing groups could pose as members of the National Guard called in after the siege on the US Capitol
Twelve US Army National Guard members have been removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online, according to two US officials. There was no threat to president-elect Joe Biden, they said.
The officials, a senior intelligence official and an Army official briefed on the matter, did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Their removal from the massive security presence at the nation’s capital comes as the FBI worked to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops headed to the area for Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
US defence officials have been worried about a potential insider attack or other threat from service members following the deadly siege at the US Capitol on January 6 by Trump supporters that shocked the nation.
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Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement on Monday that vetting of National Guard troops continues and that 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 (1.6km) from the Capitol complex prompted a lockdown on Monday during a rehearsal for the inauguration.