Patrols beefed up at Lambert ticket counters

ST. LOUIS -- Lambert Airport police have stepped up their patrols around airline ticket counters after the fatal shootings at Los Angeles International Airport, but do not plan to bolster security at the St. Louis airport beyond that.

The added Lambert police presence began Thursday after an armed Egyptian immigrant opened fire at the El Al airline ticket counter in the Los Angeles airport's international terminal, killing two people and wounding three others before being shot by El Al security officers.

The extra patrols will continue at least a few days, until Los Angeles investigators determine whether the shootings were terrorist-related, Lambert police chief Paul Mason said. "Until it is all sorted out, we are going to err on the side of caution," he said.

El Al does not have a Lambert ticket counter.

Nationwide, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Greg Warren said the agency has no plans to expand its security perimeters to encompass airline ticket counters.

The Los Angeles airport shootings came at a time when airport security already was heightened, with a focus on screening passengers and their belongings near boarding areas.

Mason said there have been two fatal shootings at Lambert during the past 15 years, both stemming from domestic disputes. Neither was inside the terminal buildings.

ElAl does not have a terminal at Lambert.