The foiled NYC bomb plot has prompted police in Montgomery County, Md. to step up their security measures around synagogues.
The New York incident was alarming, but not very shocking, according to one local Jewish leader.
"I don't think anybody was caught by surprise when they heard about the fact that there was a security incident in New York," said Ron Handler, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
"I think we are all, unfortunately, accustomed to this."
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Handler added that there is always a high level of security around Montgomery County's synagogues, but some say the extra attention from police -- which officials say is only a precaution -- is comforting.
"I like the idea, and I think it's important that the county let the public know about it, because that can be a deterring force," one man said Tuesday night.
Police ask anyone who may see anything suspicious around area synagogues to give them a call.
