Olympic terror fears mount despite Putin's assurances

New terror threats. U.S. warships on standby. Warnings from U.S. lawmakers that the security dangers are “real.” As concerns mount over next month’s Olympic Games, Russian President Vladimir Putin is insisting he’s got things under control. With some 40,000 cops deployed inside the 1,500-mile so-called “Ring of Steel,” Putin has so far brushed aside offers from other nations to assist in ensuring the safety of athletes and spectators at the games, in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. But with those nations, including the U.S., sending their own people to the games, they have nearly as big a stake in safety as Putin. The Pentagon confirmed late Monday that the U.S. military will have two ships and other assets at the ready. The Pentagon maintains that no aircraft are being sent to the region, contrary to an earlier report.

Fears mounted Monday, after news broke of four possible “black widows” -- women whose jihadist husbands have died in the fight between the Muslims of the North Caucasus and Russia -- who might be planning suicide bomb attacks. That followed a video released by an extremist group in which two men claimed credit for last month’s twin attacks in Volgograd, which left 34 people dead.

"We've prepared a present for you and all tourists who'll come over," the men in the video warned. "If you will hold the Olympics, you'll get a present from us for the Muslim blood that's been spilled."

Putin has responded to the concerns of U.S. lawmakers by assuring his country will “do whatever it takes” to protect athletes and visitors. With the eyes of the world on him, the Russian president is keen to show how far the nation has come since the breakup of the old Soviet Union, yet he desperately wants to avert any large-scale attack that would put people's lives at risk and reveal deadly divisions within Russia. He said he is implementing security measures that "don't jump out at you, are not in your face and don't put pressure on the athletes, visitors or reporters."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/21/olympic-fears-mount-despite-putin-assurances/?intcmp=latestnews

Hotels warned about terror suspect

Police in Sochi have handed out fliers at area hotels warning of a woman they believe could be a terrorist and who may currently be in the city.

One flier, obtained by CNN, asks workers to be on the lookout for Ruzanna "Salima" Ibragimova, described as the widow of a member of a militant group from the Caucasus region.

The woman, according to the flier, may be involved in organizing "a terrorist act within the 2014 Olympic region."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/20/politics/sochi-security/