Donald Trump is set to call in the National Guard to Washington DC in a bid to smash the US capital's crime and homelessness crises.
Hundreds of troops will soon flood DC, according to an American official - a tactic Trump last used to halt furious riots over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
The President has not made a final decision, the official added, and said the precise number of troops and their role are still up in the air.
**ARE YOU READING THIS ON OUR APP? DOWNLOAD NOW FOR THE BEST GB NEWS EXPERIENCE**
But it comes just hours after Trump vowed to "beautify" his nation's capital.
PICTURED: A homeless encampment in Washington DC, as seen from Trump's motorcade
|TRUTH SOCIAL
"I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," he said on Truth Social.
"The homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but far from the capital."
The President also rattled off a shot at the offenders which he has accused of plunging Washington into a crime crisis.
"The criminals... you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong. It's all going to happen very fast, just like the border.
"We went from millions pouring in, to zero in the last few months. This will be easier - be prepared! There will be no 'MR NICE GUY'.
"We want our capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Teasing a press conference set to follow on Monday, the President later said: "It will not only involve ending the crime, murder, and death in our nation's capital, but will also be about cleanliness and the general physical renovation and condition of our once beautiful and well maintained capital."
'We want our capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Trump blasted
|REUTERS
On Friday, a White House official had said federal law enforcement officials were being deployed in the city following a violent attack on a young administration staffer.
Edward Coristine, who works for the Government having initially served in Elon Musk's "Doge" unit, was assaulted by around 10 youths in a 3am brawl.
The Bureau has deployed hundreds agents on overnight shifts, who have been probing "multiple persons carrying a pistol without license," motorists driving on suspended licenses and dirt bike riding.
On Saturday alone, some 450 officers were sent in across the city.
But the Democratic mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, has vowed the capital is "not experiencing a crime spike".
"It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser told MSNBC.
PICTURED: Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser addresses the media
|REUTERS
Trump's crackdown comes as Britain's capital faces a crimewave, too.
Just days ago, police revealed plans to double its use of facial recognition technology to combat street crime and "protest-related" offences.
GBN MEMBERSHIP: Five crime hotspots in Sadiq Khan's London - MAPPED
Mayor Sadiq Khan, at the time, vowed to "put high visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence and trust".
But his pledge followed a vicious attack by Donald Trump, who blasted: "I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London. He's a nasty person."