AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File
- All federal prisons will go on lockdown ahead of Joe Biden’s Inauguration on Wednesday.
- The US Bureau of Prisons said the move was a preventative measure not prompted by any events inside their facilities.
- States and cities across the country are also ramping up security ahead of the inauguration.
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All federal prisons in the country will be under lockdown ahead of Wednesday’s presidential inauguration, according to US authorities
In a press release the US Bureau of Prisons said: “In light of current events occurring around the country, and out of an abundance of caution, the decision has been made to secure all institutions. This measure is being taken to maintain the security and orderly running of our institutions, as well as to ensure the continued safety of staff, inmates, and the public.”
The bureau added that the decision is not in response to anything happening inside of their facilities but is merely a precaution.
Cities and states are also bracing for more civil unrest ahead of Biden’s inauguration.
On January 6, supporters of President Donald Trump breached the US Capitol and clashed with law enforcement, halting a joint session of Congress as lawmakers were set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The riot lead to the deaths of five people.
An FBI bulletin later warned that in the days leading up to the inauguration, "armed protests" are expected to take place at the US Capitol and state capitols across the country.
The US Postal Services also said it will remove mailboxes in several major cities ahead of the Inauguration, also as a safety measure.
As for the prisons, the Bureau of Prisons said that its hopes the measure is only for "a short period and that operations will be restored to their prior status as soon as practical." The bureau added that inmates would still be able to communicate with their families, subject to unspecified limitations.