Big Cities Bolster Security for al-Qaida Retaliation

Concern that the killing of Osama bin Laden may spur his al-Qaida minions to retaliate by attacking U.S. shores has prompted major cities around the country to beef up security measures, Politico reports.

In Washington, D.C., “There will be increased police presence, increased checks in buildings, but nothing truly remarkably different than folks would normally see,” Mayor Vincent Gray said on the local CBS TV station. People in the nation’s capital should “pay more attention than they normally do,” he said.

However, the mayor said, “I don’t suggest people change the patterns of their life.”

In New York, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey said it will increase security at strategic points, such as area airports, the World Trade Center site, and the George Washington Bridge. “This response is not based on a current threat, but out of an abundance of caution until we have the chance to learn more,” said Chris Ward, the agency’s executive director.