Security tight at subway stations

Can Beijing's subway stations be made safe against suicide terrorist bombing attacks? Last month's pair of blasts in crowded Moscow subway stations, which killed scores of commuters, has naturally focused attention on this question.

Of course, subway security was tightened in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games, when passengers had their bags screened before entering train platforms. These checks, which remained in place after the Olympics, have made certain kinds of terrorist attacks next to impossible to carry out.

These include the March 2004 Madrid rail bombing, which was carried out by an Al-Qaida inspired terrorist cell and killed 191 people while wounding another 1,800. The same can be said for the March 1995 Aum Shinrikyo Sarin Gas attack against the Tokyo subway.