London explosions prompt concerns in Missouri

ST. LOUIS -- The good -- and bad -- thing about transportation systems is their accessibility by all kinds of people, including terrorists, a Saint Louis University terrorism expert said, a point dramatically made Thursday by explosions at subway trains and a double-decker bus in London.

"Terrorists will use whatever target is easiest," said Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, professor of political science and a noted expert on the Middle East and terrorism.

"They haven't bothered with elaborate schemes, like biological agents, because the simpler methods are more tempting. That's fortunate for us."

Security was tight at airports and other mass transportation systems across Missouri in the wake of the explosions in London.

A cell of al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for the London attacks, renewing concerns across the U.S. that had in some cases waned in the nearly four years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Missouri Homeland Security director Michael Chapman said extra security was being added around mass transit systems.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were checking MetroLink light rail trains in the St. Louis area. Security in uniform and in plain clothes were on the trains, but they always are, said Dianne Williams, a spokeswoman for Metro, which operates the mass transit system in St. Louis and nearby Illinois communities.

She urged passengers to help out by reporting any suspicious activity.

A MetroLink train from downtown St. Louis to Lambert Airport was jammed with regular riders and tourists. Everything looked ordinary except for a bomb-sniffing dog and his handler at a stop near the America's Center convention center.

Kevin Allen, a business student, said there is no way to completely protect yourself from terrorists. "They'll slide through somewhere," he said.

A spokeswoman at Lambert Airport said passengers are seeing more uniformed airport police in the terminals. Other measures are being taken but will not be obvious to the public, spokeswoman Sandy Singer said.

Alison Redden came to the airport early, expecting delays, but found none. The 22-year-old graduate student said of the London bombings, "It doesn't hit home."

A retired southern Illinois couple flying to Minneapolis had differing opinions on the security risk. Helen Farkas, 58, said the attack in London intimidates her "a little bit."

"I will be looking at people on the plane very carefully," she said.

But husband A.J. Farkas, 62, said of the attack, "What are you going to do about it? We've got to live with this. It's out of our control."

At Kansas City International Airport, bomb-sniffing dogs were checking bags and extra patrols were on duty, spokesman Joe McBride said.

In Jefferson City, Gov. Matt Blunt said there were no plans to increase security measures at the Capitol or at other state buildings. Still, he said, "This is a terrible reminder that we all need to be vigilant that attacks can strike where you might least expect them."

Capitol Police said they are being more vigilant, but have not added levels of security. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, metal detectors were installed. They were later taken out, and officials say there are no plans to reinstall them.

Sam Kiger, an engineering professor and director of the Center for Explosion-Resistant Design at the University of Missouri-Columbia, researches how to lessen the vulnerability of structures and transportation systems.

He said the best way to protect people from explosions in a building is to create a "standoff distance," to allow shock waves to dissipate. That's why government buildings and national monuments are surrounded by barriers.

"But with transit systems, you can't get that standoff distance. It's not practical to enforce," Kiger said. The goal, he said, is to build a tunnel, bridge or other transportation infrastructure that could withstand a large impact but not rupture.

"We don't want to be in a police state," he said. "Public facilities have to be accessible. We need to make modifications that make sense ... adapt our lifestyle and cope with it."