BOSTON, April 13 (BUS): Boston officials will increase the number of police around subway stations ahead of the Boston Marathon on Monday after a mass shooting in a New York subway, but stressed there was no known threat to the race and expressed confidence it would continue. Before.
A gunman wearing a gas mask detonated a smoke bomb and shot 10 people in a New York City subway car while they were commuting on Tuesday morning, authorities said. They added that none of the injured had serious injuries, and the culprit is being pursued.
“There is no known credible threat to the marathon. Like everyone else, we are monitoring the situation in New York,” Boston Police Superintendent Gregory Long said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that his department has been in contact with their New York counterparts and the FBI, Reuters reports.
“In the short term, you can expect to see an increased police presence around MBTA stations for the next couple of days over the weekend. For Monday, depending on the type of information we have and the intelligence we have, we will adjust our assets accordingly.”
Security is a major concern for local authorities with tight measures taken after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
The Boston Police Department will have uniformed and undercover officers along the marathon route on Monday, setting up cameras and checkpoints along the Boston portion of the race to keep an eye on the crowd.
The city is expecting especially large crowds on Monday because the marathon will return to its traditional April race date for the first time in three years after the pandemic-related disruptions, while baseball player Boston Red Sox will also play at home that day.
Boston Athletic Association (BAA) President Tom Grelick expressed confidence in the city’s authorities’ ability to protect the event.
“We are the grateful beneficiaries, we are at BAA and we are all marathon participants, from the work of all the agencies you see represented here and many others,” he said at the same press conference.
“Vigilant, vigilant in every possible way. But knowing that vigilance is in the hands of all the right people, we are very comfortable moving forward.”