By TOM HAYS
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK- Beware the mass transit rider with clenched fists. Or one nervously patting down his clothes. Or one who reeks of cologne.
According to a new police memo, someone looking or smelling that way could be a terrorist about to strike.
Issued at the New York Police Department this week, the memo suggests “talking points” for officers who board trains and buses to warn commuters to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior and packages in the wake of the suicide bombings in London.
Officers formally began the prevention effort Monday while doing sweeps of Amtrak trains leaving Pennsylvania Station bound for Washington, D.C. Commuters on subway trains and buses also will be urged to be vigilant about reporting any signs of trouble.
Some of those signs need explaining.
Clenched fists? In past attacks, suicide bombers have used explosives that require them to maintain pressure on hand-held triggering devices until detonation, police said.
The warning about a rider patting down his or her clothing stems from reports about the behavior of one of the London suicide bombers before he struck, police said.
And excessive use of cologne or perfume could be a sign of someone trying to mask the scent of explosives.
The memo also advises that a bomber could give himself away by perspiring heavily and avoiding eye contact.
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On the Net:
New York Police Department: http://www.nyc.gov/nypd