Brazil will increase security at airports during Rio Olympics

Soldiers of the military police battalion and their dogs, take part in an instructional exercise with officers of an elite unit of the French police, who are responsible for anti-terrorist actions in France, at Terminal 1 of the Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 25, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's Minister of Civil Aviation, Mauricio Quintella, announced Wednesday that security will be boosted at airports for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, after terrorist attacks Tuesday in Turkey and in April in Brussels.

The minister explained that security would be particularly increased in areas open to the public, since both airport attacks happened in such areas.

"What happened yesterday (in Turkey) was a warning and the Ministry is meeting to reinforce the attention being paid to these areas," said Quintella at an event in Rio de Janeiro, to launch an operations guide for Brazilian airports during the Games.

Quintella reiterated that all security forces in the country were working to avoid a terrorist attack and that "all the branches of our military are already operating together."

He added that Rio de Janeiro's international airport had received a lot of attention as the main gateway to the Games. "We will work for the airport to remain free and with no risk of obstruction. We will not let any type of protest try and shut it down," added Quintella.