Biden inauguration: small protests around several fortified government buildings

Small groups of protesters — some of them armed — gathered near government buildings in the U.S. on Sunday, where tensions are high after deadly riots at the Capitol in Washington. Protests were held outside government buildings in the capitals of Texas, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio and elsewhere.

But many other government buildings were quiet, following increased security across the U.S. No clashes were reported.

The FBI had warned of armed protests ahead of Wednesday's inauguration. President-elect Joe Biden will take office two weeks after pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, leaving five dead, including a police officer.

More than 25.000 National Guard troops are being deployed to provide security in Washington. In a sign of how concerned officials are about potential unrest, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that all Guard members… were being vetted due to fears of a domestic threat.

Also on Sunday, a county official from New Mexico was arrested in Washington in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Couy Griffin, the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, had vowed to return on inauguration day with a gun "to embrace my Second Amendment."

Many cities had prepared for potentially violent protests over the weekend, erecting barricades and deploying thousands of National Guard troops.

Pro-Trump and far-right online posts had called for armed demonstrations on Sunday in particular, but their followers were also told not to attend, reminding them of the tight security measures or claiming that the planned protests were police traps. Small crowds of protesters numbering in the dozens gathered in only a few cities, leaving the streets surrounding many government buildings largely empty.