Washingtonâs mayor has asked for increased security around the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden after last weekâs storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Describing last weekâs assault as an âunprecedented terrorist attackâ, Mayor Muriel Bowser said that Bidenâs inauguration on Jan. 20 will require a âdifferent approachâ compared to past inaugurations.
âWhile I will be reaching out to a broad range of local, regional and federal partners to enhance cooperation among our bodies, I strongly urge the United States Department of Homeland Security to adjust its approach to the Inauguration in several specific waysâ, Bowser wrote in a letter to Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the department.
The letter was dated Saturday and made available on Sunday.
The storming of the Capitol building last week by Trump supporters delayed the certification of Bidenâs election victory.
Trump, who has without evidence challenged the validity of Bidenâs election win, initially praised his supporters but later condemned the violence.
Lawmakers were forced to flee, as the building was mobbed by the presidentâs supporters who overwhelmed security forces. Five people died in the violence including one Capitol Police officer who was beaten as he tried to ward off the crowds.
In her letter, Bowser said the District of Columbia was submitting a request for a âpre-disaster declarationâ to allow for federal assistance.
She also urged the Homeland Security Department to coordinate with the Justice Department, the Department of Defense, the Supreme Court and the Congress to establish a federal force deployment plan for all federal property.
Washington remains on high alert ahead of Bidenâs inauguration. The event traditionally draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city, but has been scaled back dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump said last week he would not attend Bidenâs inauguration.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Angus MacSwan)