US State Dept issues 'travel alert' for Americans planning to attend Sochi Olympics

The US State Department has issued a travel alert for Americans planning to attend the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, warning them that they should be vigilant about their security due to potential terrorist threats, crime and uncertain medical care.

Public transport in the general vicinity of Sochi has been targeted by terrorists as recently as late December, although the department stressed that those attacks took place in the city of Volgograd, some 600 miles from the Games venue.

According to Fox News, the department said that although it is not aware of any specific threats to US interests related to the Games, however, it added that large events like the Olympics are 'an attractive target for terrorists' for which Americans should be aware of their surroundings and take precautions to stay safe, notably on public transport.

The alert warned that a group designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization, the Caucasus Emirate, has called for attacks on the Olympics, although it pointed out that Russia has promised to take appropriate security measures to protect athletes, spectators and infrastructure.

The alert further said that Americans should consider buying private medical evacuation insurance if they attend the Olympics as medical facilities are 'untested' in Sochi, which has never before hosted such a large event, adding that they should also be wary of common criminal activity.

The alert also advised lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to review the State Department's LGBT travel information page if they plan to visit Sochi for the Games, noting that Russia has in place a law that bans the 'propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations' to minors.