Two members of the National Guard were removed from the mission to secure Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration because they were found to have ties to right-wing militia groups, according to Military Times.
No plot against Biden was found.
Officials did not say what fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in.
25,000 National Guard troops were deployed to D.C. in an effort to secure the inauguration as of Tuesday morning.
The National Guard Bureau referred all questions to the U.S. Secret Service and said, “Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process nor the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration.”
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This comes as the FBI warned law enforcement on Monday that QAnon supporters had discussed infiltrating the high-security areas of the inauguration by posing as members of the National Guard the Washington Post reported.
Members of the National Guard had observed an increase in surveillance in the days following the insurrection on Capitol Hill, according to the FBI . Guardsmen reported members of the public videotaping and recording their maneuvers, and noted that some of those tapes had made their way online.
The FBI warned that QAnon followers and other far-right groups could find National Guard uniforms at Army surplus stores or wear uniforms from past military service.
