U.S. prepared to evacuate Americans if needed during Sochi Olympics

[unhappycamper]

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-winter-olympics-sochi-terrorism-threats-20140124,0,3738757.story



Security personnel walk in the Olympic Park in the Coastal Cluster in Alder, Russia.

U.S. prepared to evacuate Americans if needed during Sochi Olympics
By Timothy M. Phelps
January 24, 2014, 4:15 p.m.

WASHINGTON — With just two weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, there has been an increase in reports of security threats, a senior administration official said Friday.

“We've seen an uptick in threat reporting” based on intelligence and media reports, said the official, who joined representatives from three government agencies to brief reporters in a conference call under rules prohibiting their identification.

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday that the U.S. was prepared to evacuate citizens from Sochi in the event of an attack.

“If we need to extract our citizens, we will have appropriate arrangements with the Russians to do this,” Hagel said at a brief news conference at the Pentagon with his French counterpart. The U.S. is planning to send two warships able to provide evacuation and medical care.