As the Israel-Hamas War intensifies, authorities in the D.C. area are ramping up some security measures — although they stress there are no credible threats at this time.
D.C. police said they are increasing their visibility around the city and at places of worship.
“The Metropolitan Police Department is working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to monitor events unfolding worldwide,” a D.C. police spokesperson told WTOP in an email. “MPD and our partners are constantly sharing information and coordinating together to safeguard the residents, businesses, and visitors of the District of Columbia.”
In a statement posted Thursday evening on social media, the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland said there will also be an increased police presence at religious institutions around the county.
“As of now, there are no known threats in Montgomery County,” the statement said.
Some schools have also closed Friday as a precautionary step.
In a message to parents, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School said it was taking the “unprecedented step of closing our campuses and canceling classes” in light of information received from the Israeli embassy.
According to security bulletins obtained by Axios, security is also tightening on Capitol Hill. Some areas of the Capitol will be restricted to lawmakers, staff and visitors with official business. Capitol Police officers will also be stationed at D.C.-area airports to provide security for members of Congress, according to Axios.
Additional security fencing was going up around the Capitol on Friday morning. The 4-foot-high metal barriers, which look similar to bike racks, were going up all around the Capitol Complex. In addition, U.S. Capitol Police officers were very visible at points around the Capitol.
Cities across the U.S. are bolstering security, CBS News reported, in part following a call by a former Hamas official on social media for a worldwide “day of rage” Friday.
“The group has called for a ‘day of rage’ on numerous occasions in the past, which have catalyzed large demonstrations and unrest in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem,” an NYPD intelligence analyst told CBS News. “Nevertheless, these latest statements have the potential to resonate and spark reactionary unrest and exploitative violence beyond the region, warranting elevated vigilance on the part of law enforcement personnel.”
With tensions potentially running high, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter to the state’s public universities Thursday urging them to provide additional security and develop safety plans in the event of campus demonstrations.
Miyares said his office is committed to protecting freedom of speech in Virginia, “even when I may disagree with the message of said speech.” However, Miyares wrote he had “deep concern for the rhetoric of some student groups that are sympathetic to Saturday’s terrorist attacks in Israel.”
Miyares said statements from the student group Students for Justice in Palestine — which he describes as a pro-Hamas group — “suggests advocacy or threats of violence, such as calling for physical confrontations or ‘dismantling’ Zionism on campus.”
In a statement, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan condemned violence, but said the university has a “longstanding tradition of not just allowing free speech, but promoting civil discourse,” even when people disagree.
According to Miyares, “The right of freedom of speech does not include violent acts against persons or property. Individuals who commit crimes as part of demonstrations are subject to arrest and prosecution.”
WTOP’s Kyle Cooper and Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
