News   /   Society

US Capitol police declares readiness to crack down on future attacks ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary

US National Guardsmen stand duty behind the unscalable fence newly topped with razor wire surrounding the U.S. Capitol in the wake of the January 6th riot and ahead of the upcoming inauguration in Washington, US, January 14, 2021. (Reuters photo)

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) chief has declared the law enforcement agency's readiness to diffuse the "unthinkable" on Capitol Hill ahead of the anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress.

USCP Police Chief Tom Manger said on Monday that the country was "polarized" and the elected officials were being threatened by supporters of the other side. 

"The current threat climate, particularly against elected officials, will require continued and heightened vigilance," Manger said in a statement. "With the polarized state of our nation, an attack like the one our Department endured on January 6, 2021 could be attempted again. Should the unthinkable happen, we will be ready."

Five people were killed and more than 140 police officers were injured when supporters of then-President Donald Trump violently breached the US Capitol on Jan.6 2021 when lawmakers and Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, were set to certify the Democratic candidate Joe Biden's, win.

So far, about 900 people have been charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, including about 470 guilty pleas, according to a tally released last month by the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump has defended the attack on Capitol Hill, saying that the Jan. 6, 2021 protest represented "the greatest movement in the history of our Country,” when thousands of people marched against the certification of the 2020 election which placed Joe Biden in office as the current US president.

"January 6th was not simply a protest, it represented the greatest movement in the history of our Country to Make America Great Again," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. "It was about an Election that was Rigged and Stolen, and a country that was about to go to HELL.”


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku