Two windows and two doors used by Jan. 6 rioters were among only a few that weren't reinforced during a Capitol security upgrade that started in 2017.
Four major access points that Jan. 6 rioters used to break into and overtake the U.S. Capitol had something unusual in common: They were among a dozen or so ground-floor windows and glass-paned doors that had not been recently reinforced.
And whether by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge by rioters, several of those vulnerable windows and two glass-paned doors — protected with only a thin Kevlar film added after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — became easy entry points for hundreds of Trump supporters who overran and ransacked the building on Jan. 6.
But despite the unintended effectiveness of bomb-resistant windows as a deterrent against attackers on foot, it remains unclear whether the board responsible for Capitol security will now upgrade those remaining single-pane windows and unreinforced doors. “The windows that were broken on Jan. 6 are obviously a key area of focus,” Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson said in a statement.A House Administration Committee aide said an engineering review will determine what updates are possible considering the weight of the ballistic glass. “They’re very old windows,” the aide said.
Years later in 2017, the Capitol complex underwent another security renovation that included motion sensors in the Capitol lawn and the bomb-resistant glass.
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