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Fencing around US Capitol removed six months after deadly Jan. 6 attack
National Guard troops standing guard by non-scalable fencing that was recently installed around the Capitol in Washington January 13, 2021. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters

WASHINGTON, July 11 — More than six months after the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, the remaining high-security fence surrounding the white-domed building has been removed, police said on Sunday.

Workers began removing the last of the eight-foot-high (2.4-m) black mesh fencing on Friday, which at one point surrounded several blocks of Capitol Hill and interfered with pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

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The decision to take down the remaining fencing was based on the current threat environment and recent enhancements to the Capitol Police’s response capabilities, according to a statement released by the agency.

"We are prepared to quickly enhance our security posture should the need arise,” said Acting US Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman in the statement.

More than 535 people have been charged in taking part in the Jan. 6 violence, when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election win.

Five people died on the day of the violence and the day after, including a Capitol Police officer. Two police officers who took part in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives. More than a hundred police officers were injured. — Reuters

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