January 27, 2014 -- Updated 1856 GMT (0256 HKT)
A trip to the Winter Olympics should be all about superhuman feats of
skill or endurance. But to hear the talk of security plans in the run-up
to the Games in Russia next month, visitors may think they are entering
a war zone. FULL STORY
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ARE THE OLYMPICS SAFE?
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INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO REGION
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INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO REGION
Welcome to Sochi, the security Games
January 27, 2014 -- Updated 1323 GMT (2123 HKT)
Athlete: "We don't know what to expect"
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- 10,000 to 15,000 Americans are expected in Sochi to watch the Games, a lawmaker says
- The U.S. State Department is warning Americans to take extra precautions
- A travel warning cites reports about Russia authorities hunting for possible suicide bombers
Contingency plans for evacuating Americans in case of an attack are well in hand, it would seem.
The United States is moving to two warships into the Black Sea. If ordered, helicopters could be launched from there to Sochi, a U.S. official told CNN recently.
And if more capacity is
needed, C-17 transport aircraft will be on standby in Germany and could
be on the scene in about two hours.
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Sochi security under scrutiny
That's in addition to
U.S. precautions on Russian soil, where FBI agents are now arriving in
Sochi to work with their Russian counterparts, according to Rep. Michael
McCaul, chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.
The United States has
also discussed at the highest levels the sharing of its high-tech bomb
detection technology -- developed to protect service members from deadly
homemade bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan -- with Russia.
Concern over explosives is heightened because the radical
Islamists who have threatened to attack the Sochi Games have a track
record with hidden bombs. One was detonated under a stadium grandstand
in Grozny in 2004.
And with the largest
delegation of any nation to the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, as well
as -- according to McCaul -- 10,000 to 15,000 Americans as spectators,
the United States appears to be taking nothing for granted when it comes
to security.
American athletes, coaches and staff are being warned not to wear their red, white and blue Olympic uniforms outside the "ring of steel," the Russian security cordon surrounding Sochi.
They also will be under
the watchful eye of U.S. security officials who will attend events with
them, according to State Department officials.
Travel warning issued
The State Department went so far last week as to issue an updated travel alert for the region, warning Game-goers that bombings and abductions continue in Russia, particularly in the North Caucasus region.
It cited media reports
about the hunt in Sochi by Russian authorities for "black widows," wives
of dead insurgents who act as suicide bombers, even as it said the U.S.
government has not corroborated the reports.
The reports were just
one example of what one senior State Department official has described
as an "uptick in threat reporting" in the lead-up to the Winter Games.
"Our expectation is that
we will see more in the coming weeks," the official, speaking on
background, told reporters during a briefing on Olympic security
measures.
But is the U.S. contingency planning in line with the potential threat?
Security expert Matthew Clements, editor of IHS Jane's intelligence review in London, thinks not.
"It's normal for
countries to outline contingency plans for the removal of their
nationals from any country in which there's a risk to them," he said.
"At the same time, this is usually only undertaken in very serious
situations such as cases of civil war or other kinds of conflict.
"In the event of a
terrorist attack on someone in Sochi, even if it was around the city or
venues, I don't think the idea of there being a U.S. military evacuation
of their citizens from there would be a realistic prospect."
This, says Clements, is
because it would cause huge logistical difficulties, would likely be
overkill in terms of the situation and "probably the Russians wouldn't
be very happy."
'We've had conversations'
Photos: Building Sochi's Olympic village
Sochi transformed
Are the Olympics too big a target?
Just how safe is Sochi?
It is unclear whether a
military evacuation would entail U.S. forces entering Russian territory,
but Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has publicly hinted that there is a
plan of some sort.
"We've had conversations with the Russian government on protection of our citizens," Hagel said recently.
He also has said the
United States has offered assistance to Russia, but there has been no
request from the Russian government for help.
McCaul, speaking on
CNN's New Day, also said the notion that Moscow needs foreign help to
deal with its own homegrown terrorist threat would likely rile many
Russians.
"There's a sense of
nationalistic pride in Russia, just as we would have in the United
States," said McCaul. "And so, while they've been very productive,
cooperating with us on some issues, when it comes to the military, it
gets a little sensitive."
But former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst, believes the U.S. precautions make sense.
"You'd hope that the
U.S. wouldn't be sitting around waiting for a telegram from Russia going
'hey, come and get your people.' So to me, that's a commonsense
approach, and the military should have a very robust plan to come in and
do that," he said.
"If an attack occurs,
you're going to have chaos. You're going to have a large problem to get
ships and get helicopters, so merely getting your forces in to get your
people out will be quite an event just by itself."
Britain taking 'extra measures'
Other nations are well-aware of the security risk attached to any such major event -- but are more coy about their precautions.
Darryl Seibel, spokesman
for the British Olympic Association, declined to go into detail about
the security measures planned for Team GB in Sochi.
"We will take some extra
measures for our delegates," he told CNN. But, he stressed, "that is
not new -- we have done that for a number of Games. That's been part of
our planning from the beginning."
Seibel said the primary responsibility for security always falls to the host country and the organizing committee.
It's something of which
Britain is very conscious, having hosted the Summer Olympic Games in
2012. As it turned out, the London Olympics went off without incident,
but the security measures taken included parking missile batteries on
apartment block roofs and a huge warship on the River Thames.
The precautions in Sochi are even more extensive, those who've been there say.
"This security operation is the most impressive and well-fortified that we've ever seen in Olympic history," McCaul said.
Even so, a Quinnipiac poll conducted in the United States last week found that half those surveyed believe a terrorist attack at the Winter Olympics is very or somewhat likely.
Allaying fears
But American authorities have sought to allay concerns.
"What I can tell you is
there has been an uptick in some of the reporting, but that is not
unusual. It's of concern, but not unusual for an event like this," said
White House spokesman Jay Carney.
"The State Department
has handled and is handling the issue of travel advisories for U.S.
citizens, and we are offering the Russians any assistance that they
might require or request in a situation like this."
It's not clear exactly how many people will travel to Sochi for the Games.
Scott Blackmun, chief
executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said in a statement: "The
safety and security of Team USA is our top priority.
"As is always the case,
we are working with the U.S. Department of State, the local organizers
and the relevant law enforcement agencies in an effort to ensure that
our delegation and other Americans traveling to Sochi are safe."
Former champion Olympic
swimmer Michael Phelps said that the security issues are likely the last
thing on the athletes' minds right now.
"As an athlete, we don't
notice anything," he said. "You know, we're there to represent our
country and we are there to compete at the highest level."
Being in the Olympic Village with athletes from all over the world is incredible, he said, adding "there's nothing like it."
CNN's Barbara Starr and Laura Bernardini contributed to this report.
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