Protests: Strict security in capitals across the country with the possession of Joe Biden

After a pro-Trump crowd attacked the United States Capitol two weeks ago, the FBI warned of possible armed protests at the Capitol and in all 50 state capitals in the days leading up to, including.

The warning led to a massive security presence in DC. About 25,000 members of the National Guard are present and much of the area around the National Mall and the Capitol is inaccessible to the public. Commercial flights at Washington Reagan National Airport were interrupted for about two hours before Biden took the oath of office, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

On Sunday, small gatherings of protesters, some of whom were armed, stayed outside the capitals in Michigan, Ohio, Texas and several other states, but many other state capitals that prepared for the worst found only a handful of people. All the protests were peaceful.

Security efforts have extended to the verification of members of the National Guard arriving in Washington for possession in the case of an “internal threat”.

Almost silent protests so far

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned last week that the FBI has seen “extensive” conversations around the inauguration.

“Together with our partners, we evaluate these threats and what kind of resources to use against them. We are currently monitoring calls for possible armed protests, ”he said.

Since then, there have been some armed demonstrators in the state capitals, but the ones that took place were relatively small and with different political views.

The heavy security and continued arrests of people who participated in the attack on the United States Capitol may be playing a role in discouraging protests.

Anti-government groups that promised to show up days before the inauguration appear to have been frightened in part by their own conspiracies that the government was behind some of the national protests that have so far failed.

Law enforcement officials say there is an extensive surveillance network focused on people in the groups who participated in the attack on the Capitol. One of the prominent emerging themes is that the anti-government conspiracies that propel groups such as the Oath Keepers and other militants have become a motivator to avoid the protests, fearing that they are being sentenced to prison.

Some of the people most likely to attend these types of events are also trying to lower their profile after participating in the insurrection, police officials said.

Some saw their faces on FBI posters that circulated last week. In some cases, members of the groups surrendered, hoping to gain some benefit from not waiting for the FBI to find them.