Terrorists could target sporting events in the United States before the Sochi Olympics in Russia in February, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warned Tuesday.
"I suspect that law enforcement and intelligence in this country are focused on the risk that Chechen terrorists might try to one-up the Boston Marathon bombing in this country, as a prelude to the Sochi Olympics," Bolton said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
Story continues below video.
Terrorists struck twice in Russia over the weekend, hitting targets in the southern city of Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad.
More than 30 people died in separate attacks at a train station and on a trolley bus. Officials suspect Islamic militants from Chechnya were responsible.
Bolton said Americans should bring "situational awareness" of the potential for terrorist attacks to any sporting events that draw large numbers of people, either in the United States or abroad.
He said the Winter Olympics next month are especially vulnerable because events are spread out over a wide area.
"There still will be tens of thousands of spectators all over the area. If you secure one area, if you make the skiing venue safer, it simply means that other targets may end up being softer, more attractive to the terrorists — bus depots, hotels, that kind of thing," he said.
Bolton explained that the animosity between the factions fighting in Russia "goes back centuries." Russian extremists would view the Olympics as a "real opportunity to get their message out worldwide," he said.
"When the entire world's attention is focused on Sochi, it's a perfect opportunity for Chechens and other terrorists to use it to attack."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.