Security plans for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday just got a bit tighter, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bomb attack that killed 3 and wounded more than 140.
British police said they had been preparing for heavy protester turnout, complete with a wave of activists who were vowing to turn their backs on Mrs. Thatcher’s coffin, as it passed, and the hurling of milk at funeral procession participants, the Daily Mail reported. The milk is aimed at showing disdain for the woman who was once known by opponents as the “milk snatcher,” the Daily Mail reported.
But now, the security ante is upped considerably, and police are preparing for terrorist attack scenarios, the Mirror reported.
One unnamed security officials said to the Mirror: “It is all about trying to get as much information from the U.S. as possible about the motivation behind these bombings. British police will be trying to provide reassurance for the public, and officers will be on alert for anything suspicious.”
London police asked businesses along the parade route to remove “dustbins, ladders or loose tools and equipment, which could be used to gain access or used as weapons,” an unnamed security source quoted in the Daily Mail said.
British security is also reviewing its plans for Sunday’s marathon in London, the Mirror reported.
SEE ALSO: PRUDEN: Chipping away at Margaret Thatcher’s iron legend
The security review comes as President Obama has named two former secretaries of state to lead the U.S. delegation to Ms. Thatcher’s funeral: George Shultz and James Baker, United Press International reported.
Also attending, UPI said: Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Michele Bachmann and George Holding.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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