D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that there are no immediate threats to the District of Columbia in relation to the U.S. military’s killing of Iran’s top commander General Qasem Soleimani.
Bowser noted that the D.C. police and officials would remain vigilant and cooperate with federal partners for possible developments. She also encouraged residents to report any suspicious activity to authorities.
(2/2) As always, we remind members of the public if they see something, say something by contacting law enforcement of any suspicious activity.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 3, 2020
Pentagon released a statement late on Thursday, saying that the military carried out a pre-emptive airstrike near Baghdad International Airport in the Iraqi capital at the direction of President Donald Trump.
Soleimani was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, which was recently designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the Pentagon statement said.
“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.”
In the wake of the U.S. strike, Iran declared three days of national mourning, while thousands took to streets in Tehran and some other cities to protest the attack, following Friday prayers.
Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement, vowing for a “harsh revenge.”