The deadly rail blasts in Spain that killed 200 people were a “horrific wake-up call” and it is difficult to have a 100 percent guarantee of safety on U.S. trains and subways, a top Bush administration official said Monday.
“We do have historic reporting that there are threats to mass transit systems,” said Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of Homeland Security, on CBS’ The Early Show. “But the current threat reporting does not justify any increase in threat level.”
Hutchinson, who appeared on several morning news shows, said that the U.S. will remain on yellow alert, marking an “elevated” threat of terrorist strikes. Yellow is in the middle of a five-level system implemented in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security last week sent a nationwide bulletin advising police and transportation officials to consider increasing surveillance on trains and subways and to look for unattended backpacks and bags.
The communication was not based on any specific threat, department officials said.
In the Madrid attacks Thursday, at least 10 backpacks full of explosives were left on trains and later detonated by remote control, killing 200 people and wounding 1,500 more.
Spanish officials are now exploring whether Islamic fundamentalists with ties to Al Qaeda were involved in the attacks.
In response to the attacks, European countries have raised alert levels and bolstered security on trains and subways. In London, the British Transport Police were planning a poster campaign urging passengers to be alert and report suspicious activity.
In Washington, New York and other large American cities, police swept through subway stations and train terminals with bomb-sniffing dogs. In addition, public service announcements on loud speakers asked commuters to report anything unusual.
Security experts have long warned that U.S. subways and rail systems–including Chicago’s CTA and Metra lines–are vulnerable to terrorism because they are open to the general public with relatively little surveillance and no baggage or passenger searches.
Hutchison said that checking every bag on every train would not be practical.