Rogers: Sochi security ‘unparalleled’

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) on Sunday praised Russian physical security and counterterrorism efforts at the Winter Olympics in Sochi but warned that terror threats remain.

{mosads}“The guards, gates and guns portion of this is really unparalleled for an Olympic games,” the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“The other part that I think they’ve done well is aggressive counterterrorism operations,” he added. “They are aggressively pursuing leads that they have, some include kicking in doors and taking people down in the way that they did in Dagestan. That is a pre-emptive counterterrorism strike to try to secure the games.”

“Though one last weakness — and this was the tension between Russia and the United States, was that internal sharing of intelligence that we believe would be important,” he said.

Rogers said reports of so-called “black widow” suicide bombers have to be taken at “face value.”

“We know that there are individuals that fit those descriptions who have the capability to actually pull off the event. That’s what makes it to serious and so dangerous.”

“We can only hope that they’ll find those individuals before they’re able to penetrate any of the [security] rings.”

Rogers also said he does not believe terrorists think they have to target an Olympic venue.

“They just have to have some disruptive event somewhere. And that’s what, I think, makes them more dangerous than the folks that believe they have to have some big event at a venue.”

“I think they’re going to try to find the weakest point that they can find. And it may be outside one of those rings of security.”