The White House was surrounded earlier by an additional two-meter fence along the perimeter of the territory, where the president’s residence and offices are located; the security measure that will remain in place until the inauguration of the new US president on January 20.
With the clock ticking for America’s Election Day, local authorities across the country are taking unprecedented security measures to tackle possible violence-related “nightmare scenarios,” the Washington Post reports.
At least two states, Nevada and Washington, have activated the National Guard in case of unrest during the November 5 presidential election. Arizona’s Secretary of State Adrian Fontes admitted that he wears a bulletproof vest.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County’s vote-counting headquarters, staffers are monitoring social media in real time for reports of problems. Additionally, drone surveillance is in place to keep an eye on potential threats. The office also plans to deploy snipers on rooftops if necessary.
Similar steps have been taken in other states, where hundreds of election offices “are now buttressed with bulletproof glass, steel doors and surveillance equipment,” according to the Post.
A number of counties have distributed panic buttons for election workers, while others have stocked anti-contamination suits and an antidote to opioid overdose in case of suspicious powder in the mail.
The election race turned violent on July 13, when former US President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump suffered a gunshot wound to his right ear and was briefly hospitalized following an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The gunman, Thomas Crooks, killed a member of the audience and injured two others before the US Secret Service sniper team eliminated him. The incident prompted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.
