Washington on edge before Biden inauguration

National guardsmen on patrol. The nation’s capital is essentially on lockdown. More than 25,000 troops and police have been called to duty. Tanks and concrete barriers block the streets. The National Mall is closed. Fencing lines the perimeter of the US Capitol complex. Checkpoints sit at intersections. The US Secret Service, which is in charge of the event, says it is prepared

Presidential inaugurations are normally high-security events, with metal detectors at key entry points, restricted ID-only zones and national guards supplementing local and federal law enforcement. But the level of precautions this year is unprecedented

The Secret Service has incorporated the term ‘Green Zone’, a reference to the fortress-like area of central Baghdad set up after the Iraq war, into its inauguration security maps, and District of Columbia residents have started using the moniker for the vast restricted area running from two blocks east of the Capitol to the Potomac River west of the Lincoln Memorial

Bridges into the city have been closed, and the National Mall and other iconic landmarks were blocked off

Thousands of armed national guard troops are on the streets in an unprecedented show of force

Razorwire and fences surround the Capitol building

National Guard soldiers keep guard in front of the Capitol building and near the Washington Monument

Stores are boarded up on the eve of the inauguration

National guardsmen sit on a police car at a junction. Law enforcement officials are contending not only with the potential for outside threats but also with rising concerns about an insider attack by troops

A lone national guardsman walks down the sidewalk the night before the inauguration

Pedestrians walk next to the razor-topped fence around the Capitol building

A police helicopter flies over the National Mall

National guardsmen on patrol. Twelve national guard members were removed from the security operation after vetting by the FBI, including two who had made extremist statements in posts or texts about Wednesday’s event. Pentagon officials wouldn’t give details on the statements

A boarded-up store

National guard troops march towards an entry point. The FBI has been working to vet all 25,000 national guards in town. Officials have said the Pentagon has found no intelligence so far that would indicate an insider threat

A message left near the Capitol