New York police tighten hotel security following Jordan bombings

New York police tightened security around hotels in the city as a precaution on Thursday following a series of suicide bombings at hotels in Jordan Wednesday.

The police are redirecting their critical response vehicles and specially trained Hercules teams to hotels around the city, but officials described the deployment as standard procedure after any terrorist attacks.

At the Grand Hyatt Hotel, four patrol cars were parked in front and some police officers stood sentry at the main entrance. Private security guards also patrolled inside the hotel, in the lobby and on a balcony above.

Stepped-up security was visible at several other midtown hotels on Thursday. More squad cars and patrolling officers could be seen in front of several hotels in midtown and lower Manhattan.

Three nearly simultaneous attacks killed at least 56 people and wounded more than 100 others in the Jordanian capital of Amman Wednesday. The dead and wounded are mainly Jordanians. Along with an American killed, other victims include three Chinese, four Palestinians, and an Israeli.

Al Qaida claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attacks, linking the deadly blasts to the war in Iraq and calling Amman "backyard garden" for US operations. The authenticity of the claim could not be independently verified.

A police officer who declined to give his name said hotels and restaurants were major concerns because they were soft targets, where people have easy access. But he said the police were trying to harden them up.

Source: Xinhua