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U.S. Law Enforcement On Heightened Alert After Manchester Terror Attack

DETROIT (WWJ) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says although there is no specific threat against music venues in the U.S., police are on heightened alert.

Officials say the public should expect to see more security in public places.

This comes after a blast from an improvised bomb killed 22 people and injured 59 outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England Monday night. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.

Daniel Roberts, former FBI agent and current Chief of Police for Franklin/Bingham Farms, said authorities do the best they can, but big events pose big problems when it comes to security.

"It's almost impossible to completely secure a venue like that," Roberts said, speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950 Tuesday morning. "You know, we've had our share of special events here in Detroit with everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series, and having been involved in the security planning for those, it's really difficult to prepare for every possible attack that there is."

"You set up perimeters, you scan people coming in, but if you have a lone wolf individual bent on doing some damage it's very difficult to stop that kind of attack," he said.

CBS News reports the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, issued a claim of responsibility on Tuesday for the attack in a brief, generic statement that did not identify the bomber and appeared to get some of the facts of the attack wrong.

What's unusual about this case, Roberts said, is that the attack took place in Manchester as opposed to London.

"Usually the terrorist organizations are looking to make an attack in the place where they can get the biggest splash, you know, the biggest media attention," Robert said. "...So it was a little unique that they did this in Manchester and maybe because it was in Manchester instead of London there was less security involved there. I don't know."

Roberts said as an investigation into the attack continues, there are FBI agents in England as we speak, working the case.

"I can guarantee you that right from the beginning of this incident those agents were dispatched to the scene, they've been sharing intelligence with the Brits and trying to come up with whether or not there are any specific threats against the United States or any other country for that matter," Roberts said.

In the meantime, Roberts said, the message to the public remains consistent: If you see something, say something.

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