Report: Authorities searching for female suicide bomber in Sochi
Russian president Vladimir Putin says visitors to the Olympic Games will be safe. (Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)
Authorities in Sochi are looking for a possible female suicide bomber who may have already gotten past security set up for next month's Olympic Games, reports ABC News.
According to the report, hotel workers said posters of a 22-year-old woman were distributed over the weekend by authorities. A similar flyer was also seen posted at Sochi's airport.
The woman is identified as Ruzanna Ibragimova, who reportedly is the widow of a militant killed in a shootout with police last year.
In December, two suicide bombings killed about three-dozen people in southern Russia in less than a day. IOC president Thomas Bach said at the time that he was confident the host country would "ensure the security of the athletes and all the participants of the Olympic Games."
SI WIRE: Report: U.S. prepared if emergency Olympic evacuation needed
The Olympics begin in Sochi on Feb. 6.
A police wanted poster published by an online Sochi news website said she had left Dagestan earlier this month and arrived in Sochi about ten days ago. "The fact that one individual either was able to stay in the area before the ring of steel went up or get through it really raises questions about the strength of the Russia security apparatus," said Christopher Swift, a Georgetown University professor who has studied militant groups in the North Caucasus.
Security experts said it was troubling that she may have been able to get to Sochi despite the so-called "ring of steel" of security forces that President Vladimir Putin has said will make the Olympics safe from terrorists.
