A security guard walks on the west steps of the Capitol. UPI / Landov (Time Magazine)Washington Mobilizes 42,500-Strong Security
Force for Inaugural -- Bloomberg
Force for Inaugural -- Bloomberg
When senior FBI official Joseph Persichini takes his 5 a.m. jog down Washington’s National Mall, he imagines everything that could go wrong at Barack Obama’s inaugural next week.
He said he thinks about the possibility of a sleet storm, bombing, chemical attack or -- perhaps hardest to guard against -- the lone gunman bent on turning a celebration into a national tragedy.
“I’m thinking about what the schedule is, and what we’re doing, and what are the issues we’re facing,” said Persichini, assistant director in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office. “You don’t understand the magnitude until you go out there right on the Mall.”
As many as 2 million people -- double the number for any previous inauguration -- are expected to fill the Mall on Jan. 20 to witness the swearing-in of the first black president.
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More News On Security For The Presidential Inauguration
Inauguration Day Security: Is a Police State Necessary? -- Time Magazine
War, crowds complicate Obama inaugural security -- Reuters
Heavy security for Obama's inauguration -- Channel News Asia
Unprecedented security as Obama set for White House -- AFP
Security Net Wraps Capital for Inaugural -- New York Times