Inaugural Security Threat

Fifty-eight federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and tens of thousands of cops secured the inauguration of Barack Obama and parade that followed — and no one got busted.

There were no arrests or major incidents the day America’s first black president took the oath of office in front of more than a million people who witnessed the event.

The authorities stressed that the warning was posted as a precaution as part of the massive effort to monitor intelligence traffic and check out all leads in advance of Obama’s inauguration. Intelligence officials had warned that the inauguration posed an attractive target for terrorists because of the large crowds descending on the nation’s capital and the historic significance of the country swearing in its first black president.

A senior law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the terror threat, said as of Tuesday morning, officials felt comfortable with security preparations.

Law enforcement responded to several suspicious packages and vehicles throughout the day, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said. Many of the packages were found in trash bins near check-in points. People who were prohibited from carrying certain items onto the Capitol grounds had to throw the items away to enter.

After the swearing-in, spectators tore down some fencing along the mall instead of exiting through designated areas. No one was injured, according to U.S. Park Police, and the fencing was restored.

In addition, subway service was disrupted on one of Washington’s main Metro arteries after a woman fell on the tracks at a downtown station. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and was released later in the day. The Metro subway system was running at crush capacity since 4 a.m.

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