Russia Ends High Security Alert

MOSCOW -- Russia's security body on Friday formally ended a high alert announced earlier this week over a threat of terror attack.

Nikolai Patrushev, the Federal Security Service chief who also chairs the National Anti-Terror Committee, ordered the end of the alert, a duty officer at the agency said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The alert involved thousands of extra police deployed at Moscow subway and other public transport facilities around the nation.

The committee issued the alert warning after receiving information about a possible terror attack on public transport from unidentified foreign nations.

As part of the increased security, uniformed police, some with bomb-sniffing dogs, patrolled subway and train stations as well as other sites around Moscow, checking documents and standing guard at entrances. Public announcements asked passengers to be on alert for suspicious items.

Moscow's three main international airports introduced stricter passenger checks and additional police patrols of terminal buildings.

Russia has seen a spate of high-profile terrorist incidents in recent years, including hostage takings and subway and airline bombings linked to the 12-year conflict in mostly Muslim Chechnya, where large-scale fighting ended years ago but an insurgency continues.