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Before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, the FBI examines all 25,000 National Guard soldiers who come to Washington to do so.
The reason is the concern about a possible attack on the event from their own ranks, said the civilian head of the US Army, Ryan McCarthy, the AP news agency.
Since the storming of the Capitol by violent supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump on January 6, there has been great concern in Washington that something could happen again when Biden is inaugurated this Wednesday.
The Capitol was therefore cordoned off on a large scale, 25,000 national guards from all over the country were mobilized, at least two and a half times as many as at previous swearing-in ceremonies.
But with so many soldiers, it cannot be ruled out that they may include sympathizers of the rioters and extremists who stormed the Capitol on January 6th.
Six people were killed.
Several ex-military officers were among the more than 125 people arrested.
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The National Guard is a reservist unit with a total of around 450,000 members who can be deployed both domestically and abroad.
The relatives are not professional soldiers: They have another job on a daily basis, but they train regularly.
Both state governors and the US president can fall back on the National Guard, which is spread across the country in units.
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