The Russians must accept help from the international community to ensure the security of the 2014 Olympics, says Peter Brookes, a Heritage Foundation senior fellow for national security affairs.
"The Russians have to accept our help, and the help of others, who may have some insights here about increasing the security for the athletes, the spectators, and for our dignitaries," Brookes said Wednesday on Fox News' "Happening Now."
"I think we have to be very sober about the threat (of terrorism). There is a real threat," he added.
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The International Olympic Committee downplayed terror threats Wednesday in advance of the games set to begin Feb. 7 in the Russian city of Sochi, according to Fox News. In the last two months, three separate terrorist bombings in Russia have killed more than 30 people.
President Barack Obama has offered help from the U.S. with security for the games and has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said publicly that
security for the Winter Games is under control. But Brookes told Fox News he hopes the public statements from Putin differ from what he's saying in private.
"Putin can say one thing publicly. But, I hope privately he's accepting our assistance. We may have pieces to the puzzle that he doesn't have. We may not know what his intelligence and information deficits are, so we can help fill them," Brookes said.
The biggest threat to security would be a "lone wolf," Brookes warned. He said that type of terrorist is hardest to predict.
"If you have individuals who may be doing this, with very few people knowing of their intentions, that lone wolf is the most challenging for any intelligence service, in terms of counterterrorism," he said.
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