Boston tightens security ahead of convention
Additional officers, cameras, closures planned for next week
 | |
| |
|  VIDEO |
 FBI reports "unconfirmed' threat at convention.
 Is security surrounding the DNC going too far?
|
|
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Amid final preparations for the first political nominating convention since the attacks of September 11, 2001, security officials are preparing to lock down a huge area of Boston.
Although the Democratic National Convention doesn't open until Monday, armed Coast Guard boats already are patrolling Boston Harbor. (CNN.com Special Report: America Votes 2004)
Manholes are welded shut, and there are few, if any, mailboxes and trash cans in sight.
Interstate 93, the main highway on which traffic flows in and out of the city, will be closed during convention hours because it passes within a few feet of the convention site at the FleetCenter. All together, about 40 miles of roads will be closed.
The Boston subway's North Station, a main commuter hub, also will be shut down.
Because of those closures, the city has asked workers to stay home during convention week.
Thousands of local, state and federal officers are helping turn the city into a veritable fortress. Extra "eyes" will be watching the FleetCenter after more than 100 high-tech video cameras were installed, according to The Associated Press.
Fencing has gone up around critical buildings, and those who want to enter must pass through security checks.
Some of that steel fencing, razor wire and concrete blocks surrounds the 28,000 square-foot area where protesters will hold demonstrations.
Authorities fear that some protesters are preparing to target the media.
The FBI said Friday that it had "unconfirmed information" that a domestic group plans to attack media vehicles, possibly with "explosives or incendiary devices," according to a statement issued by the FBI's Boston field office.
Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety Edward Flynn said officials have an idea where the threat is coming from.
"We're looking at people that are coming from the fringes of our protest groups, who seemed to have thought it's a good idea to target media vehicles," Flynn said.
The Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating, the FBI field office said.
The Department of Homeland Security has named both the Democratic and the Republican conventions National Special Security Events. That designation gives the Secret Service the lead in coordinating security.
The federal tab for security at both conventions is expected to be $100 million.
Police will guard ventilation vents at delegates' hotels, and dozens of highly trained emergency-response teams will wait in warehouses in case of chemical or biological attack.
A threat alert bulletin issued Thursday by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security reiterated a warning that terrorists may be planning a U.S. attack in the summer or fall but revealed no credible or specific threat concerning the conventions.
The bulletin was sent to members of the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force and Homeland Security officials in Massachusetts.
Homeland Security officials said the bulletin mentions possible threats to aviation, mass transit and infrastructure in Boston.
Because of the security concerns and Logan International Airport's proximity to Boston's port and city center, the official said that more federal air marshals were being deployed on flights in and out of Boston and that passengers flying into the city would be given additional scrutiny.
The FBI/Department of Homeland Security bulletin mentions that several people seeking asylum in Boston were turned away recently, but the department official called that a common occurrence that may have no connection to the convention.
CNN's Bob Franken contributed to this report.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
