Dozen National Guard members with links to far-right removed from Biden inauguration
ITV News Security Editor Rohit Kachroo has more
A total of 12 US National Guard members who have links to right-wing militias - or who have posted extremist views online - are being removed from the security mission around Joe Biden’s inauguration, US officials have said.
The officials, a senior intelligence official and an Army official briefed on the matter, did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in.
The investigation into the National Guard members did not find any plot against Mr Biden or his inauguration.
Mr Biden is due to be inaugurated as president on Wednesday amid an extremely tense situation in Washington in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol on January 6.
ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore has more on the eve of the inauguration
Their removal from the massive security presence comes as the FBI works to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops heading to the area for Biden’s inauguration.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
In a statement, the US Secret Service that "due to operational security, we do not discuss the process nor the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration".
Large parts of the US Capital have been locked down in preparation for Mr Biden's inauguration, with a heavy military presence surrounding all government buildings.
Defence officials in the US have been worried about the possibility of one of their own soldiers going rouge and launching an attack during the inauguration ceremony.
Some 25,000 soldiers are said to be involved in the security operation and all will have been vetted by the FBI before Wednesday.
The number of troops involved are at least two-and-a-half times the normal used for a presidential inauguration.
It follows the scenes of chaos from when the Capitol was stormed on January 6 in which five people were killed.
President Donald Trump has been impeached for a second time after US lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled congress accused him of inciting violence and stirring up the protest.
His trial is due to start this week despite him no longer being president.