At least 25 cases of domestic terrorism opened after Capitol Hill riot
A federal murder probe has also been opened into the death of Capitol Hill Officer Brian Sicknick; Fox News contributor Joey Jones weighs in.
Amtrak is responding to the largest union of rail workers calling for heightened security in Washington D.C. ahead of Inauguration Day travel.
"We join our labor partners in continuing to call upon Congress and the Administration to make assaults against rail workers a Federal crime, as it is for aviation workers, and to expand the TSA’s 'No Fly List' to rail passenger service," Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement obtained by Fox News Thursday.
Amtrak said it was increasing police enforcement, limiting ticket sales and banning anyone who is not compliant with its policies, including mask-wearing following the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol for Wednesday's Inauguration ceremony.
Amtrak responds to union demands for heightened safety on trains ahead of Inauguration Day. (iStock)
"We are taking extra steps to continue ensuring the safety of our employees and customers in Washington DC and across our network as we prepare for the Inauguration. We are increasing our police enforcement to ensure strong compliance, remove non-complying customers and ban those that don’t follow our policies," Flynn said in the statement.
Amtrak will also deploy additional police officers onboard trains and in stations to support our frontline workers and utilize additional support from TSA and partner law enforcement agencies, Flynn said.
FBI CONSIDERS ADDING CAPITOL RIOTERS TO NO-FLY LIST
The rail company's response comes after the Transportation Communications Union (TCU), which represents around 35,000 people working in the transportation sector and around 6,100 on Amtrak, urged Amtrak to utilize the "no-fly" list in screening passengers and deny ticket sales to those individuals in a statement released Monday.
"We must not let our nation’s trains or DC’s Union Station – with its surrounding grounds and proximity to the Capitol – become the site of, or aid in, another historically tragic event. We must be prepared for all situations, and hope for the best," TCU National President Artie Maratea said in a statement.
The urgency to prohibit violent protestors from railways comes after flight attendants demanded the pro-Trump rioters be banned from planes.
It’s unclear if, or how many, Pro-Trump rioters took trains into D.C. last week.
FOLLOWING CAPITOL RIOTS, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS UNION SEEKS TO BAN PRO-TRUMP DEMONSTRATORS
The news comes as President-elect Joe Biden canceled plans to take Amtrak to his Inauguration Day due to concerns over safety risks, the Associated Press reported Wednesday, signaling heightened risk for potential threats in D.C.
The FBI has warned of several political events planned by violent extremist groups posing safety threats in the days leading up to Inauguration Day on Wednesday in wake of the U.S. Capitol riot.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
