• Few signs of an organized plot to disrupt the inauguration have emerged.
•As Trump left the White House for the final time, his helicopter flew over thousands of American and state flags
Image: REUTERS
Washington braced for a tense inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, as more than 25,000 National Guard troops stood watch over a barricaded city, emptied of the spectators who usually throng to the quadrennial ritual.
With much of downtown fenced off, security analysts expressed confidence the unprecedented precautions would protect Biden's noon EST (1700 GMT) oath of office from a major assault, like the attack on the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago to the day that left five people dead.
Few signs of an organized plot to disrupt the inauguration have emerged, experts say, but the threat of "lone wolf" attacks, or violence carried out by radicalized individuals, was still a concern.
As Trump left the White House for the final time on Wednesday morning, his helicopter flew over thousands of American and state flags planted in the National Mall, standing in for the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered for past inaugurations to watch the proceedings on big-screen televisions.
A handful of visitors lingered outside Union Station, the city's normally bustling train terminal. "I'm looking forward to some change and cautiously optimistic," said Victor Duran, 22, a student from Dallas.
National Guard troops, carrying rifles, stood behind razor-wire topped fencing that sealed off Capitol Hill. Motorcades carrying VIPs sped past.
A small group of protesters stood outside the perimeter. "If Joe Biden wants to take America to hell, go right ahead!" one shouted through a bullhorn.
Dennis Pluchinsky, a former State Department terrorism analyst, said any disruptions would not mar the ceremony. "There is nothing they can do to hurt Biden. I think all they are trying is to fly their flag and poison the inauguration," he said.
Two demonstrations that had been planned along the parade route between the Capitol and the White House have been canceled, according to the National Park Service.
The security precautions, along with a coronavirus pandemic that has prompted many to avoid public gatherings, left city streets largely empty in the nation's capital.
"It's, frankly, painful to see this, the whole city shut down," former Republican Senator Jeff Flake told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol for the ceremony.
Pentagon and FBI officials are screening participating troops to avert any insider attack.
On Tuesday, Pentagon officials said a dozen National Guard members had been removed from inauguration duty after vetting that included screening for potential ties to right-wing extremism, and troubling text messages.
FLAGS NOT PEOPLE
Officials have left little to chance this year. Bridges between Virginia and downtown Washington have been closed, as have Metro stations in the central security area, which some residents have likened to the fortress-like Green Zone of central Baghdad in Iraq.
Some intercity bus services have been suspended, as have many bike-share stations and Amtrak trains running south from Union Station, which pass through a tunnel just east of the Capitol.
With inaugural balls and other parties previously canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event has taken on a somber tone in Washington.
The number of troops in Washington is three times the normal number of National Guard troops, said Major General William Walker, commander of the D.C. National Guard.
"We're not taking any chances," Walker told NBC. "It's just to ensure the peaceful transition of presidential power."
In addition, some 2,300 law enforcement officials from across the United States have been sworn in https://twitter.com/USMarshalsHQ/status/1351529934561406977?s=20 as special deputy U.S. marshals, supporting the overall security operation led by the U.S. Secret Service.
Actions by Twitter and Facebook to suspend accounts calling for violence has pushed organizing activity onto unmoderated channels such as 8kun, said Daniel Jones, president of Advance Democracy, a nonprofit group that conducts public-interest research and investigations.
"The promotion of violence on these fringe channels are explicit, and include instructions on weapon modifications and combat techniques," Jones said. "The FBI appears to be taking these threats seriously, but disciplined lone wolf actors, regardless of ideology, are extremely difficult to track."
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(Reporting by David Lawder, Jonathan Landay, Andy Sullivan, Heather Timmons, David Shepardson, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Writing by Andy Sullivan and David Lawder; Editing by Heather Timmons, Lincoln Feast and Jonathan Oatis)