Fencing around US Capitol removed 6 months after deadly attack

Linda So/Reuters

Updated: Jul 11, 2021 / 04:52 PM CDT

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: VA National Guard stands outside the razor wire fencing that surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week’s Capitol Riot the FBI has warned of additional threats against the US Capitol and in all 50 states. According to reports, as many as 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be guarding the city as preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. President. (Photo by Liz Lynch/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — More than six months after the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. 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 black mesh fencing on Friday, which at one point surrounded several blocks of Capitol Hill and interfered with pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.