Russia beefs up security after bombings kill 31
Source: AP-Excite
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian authorities ordered police to beef up security at train stations and other facilities across the country after a suicide bomber killed 14 people on a bus Monday in the southern city of Volgograd.
It was the second deadly attack in two days on the city that lies just 400 miles (650 kilometers) from the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Russian authorities said they believe the latest attack was the work of the same group that set off a deadly bomb Sunday at Volgograd's main railway station.
Together, at least 31 people were killed in the two explosions, putting the city of 1 million on edge and highlighting the terrorist threat that Russia faces as it prepares to host February's Winter Games in Sochi. While terrorists may find it hard to get into tightly guarded Olympic facilities, the bombings have shown they can hit civilian targets elsewhere in Russia with shocking ease.
The heightened security comes as Russians are preparing to celebrate the New Year, the nation's main holiday. In St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, the local governor canceled a New Year's fireworks show.
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An ambulance leaves the site of a trolleybus explosion in Volgograd, Russia, Monday, Dec. 30, 2013. The explosion left 10 people dead Monday, a day after a suicide bombing that killed at least 17 at the city's main railway. The explosions put the city on edge and highlighted the terrorist threat that Russia is facing as it prepares to host the Winter Games in February. Volgograd is about 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Sochi, where the Olympics are to be held. (AP Photo/Denis Tyrin)