Russia tightens security after alert

Russian security services increased patrols and surveillance at military bases, oil pipelines and the Moscow metro today after the country's spy chief warned of a potential attack.

The warning came from foreign intelligence services, security officials said. They said they had found no evidence to confirm that an attack was imminent but that the heightened alert would stay in force for now.

Separatists from Russia's Chechnya region have caused huge bloodshed in past attacks but analysts said the most likely threat now was from Islamist militants who share the same ideology and methods as counterparts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This is very serious," Moscow-based security analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said. "Officials are thinking that another Madrid or London could happen here."

Islamist bombers killed hundreds of people on the public transport networks in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005, and analysts say they could now try to seek revenge against Russia for trying to stamp out a separatist war in Muslim Chechnya.

Chechen rebels have hit Moscow before. In 2002 rebels hijacked a central Moscow theatre and 129 hostages died when Russian special forces stormed the building. Two years later bombs on the metro killed dozens of passengers.

After spy chief Nikolai Patrushev's warning yesterday Russian officials rushed to assure the public that security had been tightened.

"Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov immediately issued instructions .. to step up security," the Moscow mayor's office said in a statement.

Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said troops would help protect government offices and other potential targets.

Russia's three big mobile telephone operators said at the government's request they had switched off transmitters which allow commuters to use their phones in metro stations.

"We know that Islamic cells are connected internationally and communicate with each other," he said.

But around 20 hours into the alert, Russia's state anti-terror committee said no evidence could be found to support the foreign information.