SECURITY has been beefed up around the United States president-elect, Senator Barack Obama even though he will not move into the White House until 20 January - his inauguration day.
Consequently, his street has been fortified and Hyde Park Boulevard, near his family house, has been closed. The Boulevard has beeen closed for a block on either side of the house in addition to Obama's own street being closed off.
The home is exposed to traffic on the busy Hyde Park Boulevard. His house also faces a variety of apartment windows on the Hyde Park side.
Pool report from Abdon Pallash, Chicago Sun-Times talked about stepped up security for the president-elect, who wrapped up a day of planning for his transition at the office of his friend, John Rogers, Ariel financial founder.
Although election automatically requires the state to provide him with security, the issue of race, which has been a common subject of discussion in the past months, may have necessitated further security measures being put in place.
Reports revealed during the presidential race that there were about 500 threats against his life from white supremacists, including Ku Klux Klan.
There are also fears that he may face threats from anti-American groups such as Al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremists. He has already been the target of two assassination plots from the group.
That explains why bulletproof glass shields were provided for him for his victory speech at Grant Park, Chicago, on Tuesday. He delivered the said speech from behind two-inch thick bullet proof glass.
Dailymail’s Paul Thompson wrote: “The clear protective screens he was sandwiched between at Grant Park in Chicago were the first visible sign of the fears he will be the target of an assassination attempt.
‘The bulletproof glass was not visible to the millions of people worldwide watching his speech on TV. “Also unseen were the dozens of Secret Service agents who had taken up position in the crowd and the high rise buildings overlooking the park.”
Thompson added that prior to Obama coming on stage, security operatives had posed as the president-elect “ to 'test' his exposure to an assassin's bullet,” aside from imposing a no-fly zone over the area.
He said ”A red laser dot was 'fired' on to the chest of the agents from others posing as snipers in the skyscrapers overlooking the park. “After the test was carried out it was decided to install the 10 feet high and 15 feet long screens. A marquee housing the TV cameras meant he was not at risk from the front of the park.
“A no-fly zone was also imposed over the area, with only police helicopters allowed in the air.” Fears that he will be targeted by white supremacists have led to his Secret Service detail to double in size overnight.
From 12 agents the number usually assigned to a vice president, he will have a full complement of 30 agents to provide round-the-clock protection.
While race hate groups are thought to pose the most risk, there are a number of organisations and individuals who pose a threat from within the US.
British Nobel prize winner, Doris Lessing, provoked outrage earlier this year when she predicted Obama would be assassinated if he was elected president.
In January, the term “Obama assassination” appeared on the top 100 Google search terms. The Secret Service has looked into at least 500 assassination threats against Obama. While the majority were dismissed, at least a dozen have been investigated.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) said it would work with Senator Obama in the effort to realise the country's goals. EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Mr. Javier Solana said this in a statement following the conclusion of the US presidential election that “Europe is willing and able to help. There is a high number of very complex global problems: from the Middle-East to Iran and Afghanistan and Pakistan, from climate change to non-proliferation. We need to address those problems together with determination and creativity.”
With the election of Obama, he noted, Europeans and Americans were keen to open a new chapter in their relations.
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