THE SOCHI THREAT – CONTINUED – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  We began discussing this yesterday, the serious threat of terror facing the Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, which begin in three weeks.  More, from the great Bill Gertz at the Washington Times: 

U.S. national security and law enforcement agencies monitoring security at the Sochi Olympics say the southern Russian city faces a high risk of an Islamist terrorism attack. One message from a security analyst to those considering attending the Winter Games: Don’t go.

The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6-23 in Sochi, the port city on the western shore of the Black Sea and about 25 miles north of the Russian border with Georgia.

The Islamist threat, however, emanates from separatist terrorists based in the nearby North Caucasus region, which includes the ethnic enclave of Chechnya.

Two recent suicide bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd, about 400 miles north of Sochi, are being viewed as a “taste” of bad things to come in Sochi. The Dec. 29 blast at a rail station and the Dec. 30 explosion on a bus killed a total of 34 people and injured scores.

And...

Russia has mobilized tens of thousands of troops and security officials in an effort to secure the Games. Moscow has created a 1,500-mile security cordon around Sochi in a bid to prevent infiltration by terrorists.

But U.S. officials said the lack of infrastructure in Sochi, specifically roadways, has made the city vulnerable to a mass attack that could disrupt the Games.

Sochi’s 1,384 miles of roads are not interconnected, making detours difficult in the aftermath of a car bombing or even a vehicular accident.

And...

The 11 hospitals in the region all are on difficult-to-access routes.

The State Department issued a travel alert Friday warning Americans attending the games to “remain attentive” to threats.

COMMENT:  I wonder how you "remain attentive" to threats.  Do you scream if you see a guy next to you on a bus with a bulge under his jacket? 

The concern is justified.  For once I'm rooting for the Russian security guys.

January 17, 2014