Pentagon puts US military police on alert for Minneapolis protest duty

Washington: As unrest spread across dozens of American cities on Friday over the death of George Floyd, the Pentagon ordered the US Army to ready its active-duty military police to deploy to Minneapolis. Roughly 800 US soldiers would deploy to the city if called to the city, AP reported.

Soldiers from Fort Bragg in north Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called, said a CNBC report. Soldiers in Fort Carson, in Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas have been told to be ready within 24 hours.

The get-ready orders were sent verbally on Friday, after President Donald Trump asked Defense Secretary Mark Esper for military options to help quell the unrest in Minneapolis after protests descended into looting and arson in some parts of the city.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump said demonstrators protesting the death of the black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck would have been "greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons" had they breached the White House fence.

In a series of Twitter posts, Trump also appeared to call his supporters to rally outside the executive mansion on Saturday evening, saying, "TONIGHT, I UNDERSTAND IS MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???" MAGA stands for Trump`s slogan "Make America Great Again."

The death on Monday in Minneapolis of George Floyd has sparked demonstrations, some of them violent, in many cities across the nation, including one in Washington on May 29. The White House was temporarily locked down as hundreds of people gathered in the afternoon across the street in Lafayette Square.

After marching away, demonstrators assembled again later and videos showed pushing-and-shoving matches between officers and protesters, who dispersed early Saturday morning.

Trump praised the US Secret Service officers who guard the White House as "very cool. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn`t have felt more safe."

"Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons," he said. "Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action."

Trump accused Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser of refusing to send police to help the U.S. Secret Service, although the Washington Post reported that city officers did help control the later gathering.

The mayor`s office and the D.C. police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Friday, Trump drew a warning from Twitter and condemnation from Democrats after posting a comment that "looting leads to shooting," suggesting protesters who turned to looting could be fired upon.