US Protests: 'Active Duty' Troops In Area Around Washington DC

Around 1,600 "active duty" US Army troops have been sent to the National Capitol Region around Washington DC, as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd continue.

Jonathan Rath Hoffman, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said multiple Army units, including an infantry battalion, had been deployed and placed on standby.

He said the troops, from two military bases in New York and North Carolina, were moved as a "prudent planning measure in response to ongoing support to civil authorities operations".

"Active duty elements are postured on military bases in the National Capitol Region but are not in Washington DC," he said.

Mr Hoffman added the troops are on "heightened alert status".

It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the military if state governors failed to stop the protests over police brutality.

Mr Trump warned if the National Guard was not deployed in sufficient numbers to "dominate the streets", then the military would step in to "quickly solve the problem for them".

Protests have also been held outside the White House, with Mr Trump reportedly being taken to his underground bunker on Friday night.

More than six days of unrest across America have followed the death of George Floyd last week.

Video filmed prior to his death shows Mr Floyd being pinned to the pavement by a white police officer, who put his knee on the handcuffed black man’s neck. 

The police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Mr Hoffman said the 91st Military Police Battalion from Fort Drum and the 16th Military Police Brigade headquarters from Fort Bragg were among the units deployed to the Washington DC area.