波士顿爆炸案使美国安保级别提升

 

From the World Trade Center and Times Square in New York to the White House and sports venues¹ across the country, police patrolled in packs and deployed² counterterrorism teams Monday as security was stepped up after explosions at the Boston Marathon.

 

Worries also reverberated³（使回响，使反射） across the Atlantic, where an already robust⁴ security operation was being beefed up for Wednesday's ceremonial funeral for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher⁵. The event at St. Paul's Cathedral, to be attended by Queen Elizabeth II and other dignitaries, calls for a procession through the streets of London, with Thatcher's flag-draped coffin⁶ carried on a horse-drawn carriage.

 

British police were also reviewing security plans for Sunday's London Marathon — the next major international race — because of the bombs that killed three people and injured more than 140 in Boston.

 

Across the U.S., security was tightened⁷ at landmarks⁸, government buildings, transit⁹ hubs and sporting events. Law enforcement agencies also urged the public via Twitter and Facebook to report suspicious activity to the police.

 

In New York, authorities deployed so-called critical response teams— highly visible patrol units that move in packs with lights and sirens, — along with more than 1,000 counterterrorism officers. Highly trafficked areas like the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the United Nations and the World Trade Center site were being especially monitored.

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the police department was fully¹⁰ prepared to protect the city.

 

"Some of the security steps we are taking may be noticeable," Bloomberg said. "And others will not be."

 

In Washington, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano urged the American public "to be vigilant¹¹ and to listen to directions from state and local officials."

 

"At the president's direction, the Department of Homeland Security is providing any support necessary in this ongoing¹² investigation," Napolitano said.

 

At the White House, the Secret Service expanded its security perimeter¹³ after the attacks, shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue and cordoning¹⁴ off the area with yellow police tape. Several Secret Service patrol cars blocked off entry points, although the White House was not on lockdown and tourists and other onlookers¹⁵ were still allowed in the park across the street.

 

Speaking late Wednesday from the White House, President Barack Obama declared that those responsible would "feel the full weight of justice," though he urged a nervous nation not to jump to conclusions and pointedly¹⁶ avoided using the words "terror" or "terrorism."

 

However, top lawmakers declared the deadly incident an act of terrorism, and a White House official said it was being treated that way.

 

Police in Los Angeles, Washington, San Diego, Las Vegas, Detroit, Atlanta and other major cities were monitoring events closely and assessing increases in security measures.

 

In California, emergency management officials activated¹⁷ their statewide threat assessment¹⁸ system, which was established after the Sept. 11 attacks. And officials in multiple cities and counties throughout the state were reviewing information from federal authorities for possible threats.

 

In Seattle, police increased patrols in neighborhoods and around government buildings and other facilities. In Colorado a statewide alert was sent out advising law enforcement agencies to look out for suspicious activities.

 

In New Jersey¹⁹, authorities raised security statewide, calling in off-duty state police officers and deploying²⁰ bomb units, aviation crews, tactical teams and search and rescue assets as a precaution.

 

Transit and port officials in New York and New Jersey were on heightened alert at bridges, tunnels and on rail lines between the two states, as well as on New York City's subway system and commuter²¹ rails.

 

And at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as at three major Los Angeles airports, including Los Angeles International, law enforcement officials were in a "heightened state of vigilance（警戒）," with increased patrols, authorities said.

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