US increases transit security after blasts
Associated Press
NEW YORK
U.S. transit agencies beefed up security as a precaution Monday after the suicide bombings in Moscow’s subway system, sending more police into stations and having officers conduct random inspections of rail yards.
In New York, caravans of police vehicles were dispatched to transit hubs, and officers assigned to subways overnight were held in place so they overlapped with the day tour. Special units distinguished by their special black uniforms, helmets and body armor also were assigned to transit facilities.
In Washington, D.C., Metro police were conducting random inspections of stations and rail yards, officials said. Atlanta’s public transit system said its police department was increasing the number of officers and patrols throughout the system.
Russian authorities said two women blew themselves up in Moscow on Monday in a subway jam-packed with rush-hour passengers, killing at least 38. They blamed the carnage on rebels from the Caucasus region.
The federal government did not immediately make any recommendations for increased security at mass-transit systems, but authorities were monitoring the situation, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Caucasus Islamic separatists tend to be focused on targets in the region, primarily Russia, and are not generally considered a threat to U.S. domestic interests.
“The actual Chechen rebels generally don’t care about the U.S. one way or the other,” said Jeffrey Mankoff, an adjunct fellow for Russian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “They are mainly interested in what’s happening in Russia.”
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.