Solidarity and Security Concerns in Europe after Boston Marathon Bombs

In the wake of bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, European leaders on Tuesday expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the United States. Practical concerns were also on the minds of sporting event organizers, who said they would be adjusting their plans to suit fresh security concerns.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel released a statement on Tuesday, expressing her "horror" at the events in Boston, which killed at least three and left some 176 injured, more than a dozen critically. Her thoughts are with the victims and their families, she said. "Nothing justifies such a malicious attack on people who have gathered for a peaceful sporting event," she wrote. "I hope that those responsible will soon be brought to justice."

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also said he was "deeply shocked" by the bombing, which an anonymous White House official said was being treated as a terrorist act. "What should have been nothing more than a happy sporting event with long-standing tradition for tens of thousands of runners from Boston and around the world has turned into a tragedy," he said on Tuesday.

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