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Brussels Attack Prompts City's 'Stepped Up Preparedness'

By  Alex Nitkin and Ted Cox | March 22, 2016 9:08am | Updated on March 22, 2016 11:48am

 Police ordered
Police ordered "stepped up presence at airports and transportation sites" across the city, Supt. John Escalante said in a Tuesday morning statement.
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Flickr/Piper

CHICAGO — Police Supt. John Escalante ordered "stepped-up presence at airports and transportation sites" across the city after Monday night's deadly explosions in Brussels, according to a statement issued Tuesday morning.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel affirmed that later Tuesday, saying, "There's no credible threat on the City of Chicago, but that doesn't mean we didn't heighten our presence" at the airports and other city focal points.

Police have "increased [their] security posture [uniform and non-uniform] at the airports, public transportation systems and other high profile locations," the statement read.

Still, Escalante said, there is "no current intelligence, threat or nexus to Chicago concerning the Brussels incident." The increased presence, he added, "comes after similar precautions in New York and Washington, D.C. and is not in response to any specific threat."

Emanuel said he had spoken with the Belgian consul to express that "they're not alone at this moment." Yet he added, "You look at Paris, you look at Brussels, you look at San Bernadino. We live in a new world."

CTA officials echoed that they "have received no known specific or credible threats" but "continue to work closely with the Police Department's Public Transportation Division," spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said. "We remind our customers to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police or CTA employees."

Metra Police have also "stepped up [their] presence at all [their] facilities and are being vigilant," spokesman Michael Gillis said Tuesday.

In an earlier statement, Emanuel said that "while there are no known threats to the City of Chicago, we will remain vigilant to ensure the safety and security of all of our residents.

"Chicago will continue standing with the Belgian people both today and in the difficult days ahead as they move forward in their healing process," he added.

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