American travelers should know escape routes at transit hubs after Iran strikes, security expert warns

After the U.S. airstrikes crippled Iranian atomic sites connected Saturday night, a travel security adept said it is imperative for Americans to person a program to flight to information successful the lawsuit of an onslaught connected a question hub. 

Robert McDonald was a Secret Service cause for much than 20 years and is an adept successful enforcement protection, quality and protective question logistics. During that time, helium coordinated information for U.S. and overseas dignitary visits. 

Now, helium is simply a prof of transgression justness astatine the University of New Haven. 

"There are those benignant of areas wherever radical are coming and going. People are transient. Lots of radical spell determination each day," helium told Fox News Digital successful notation to airports and autobus and bid stations. "Anything tin hap astatine immoderate time. Again, you've conscionable got to beryllium capable to beryllium cognizant of your surroundings, beryllium situationally alert and beryllium capable to get yourself retired of a concern if thing was to happen."

An Iranian demonstrator holds an anti-American sign. (Getty)

‘OPEN BORDERS’ UNDER BIDEN COULD HELP IRAN RETALIATE WITH US TERROR SLEEPER CELLS: FORMER FBI BOSS

"We don't privation thing to happen, but you conscionable got to beryllium capable to get yourself retired of a peculiar portion comparatively quick," helium said. 

The aforesaid rule applies to immoderate crowded place, some indoors and out, McDonald said. Being "situationally aware" includes being connected the lookout for thing that seems retired of spot successful day-to-day life. He clarified that "out of place" is antithetic for everyone. 

"For example, if you spell to a promenade oregon Times Square and you spot a backpack lying connected the country with cipher astir it, oregon it hasn't moved successful a while, you mightiness privation to study that," helium said. 

Iranians clasp up their hands arsenic signs of unity with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel's attacks connected Iran, successful downtown Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

NYPD RAMPS UP SECURITY AT JEWISH SITES ACROSS NYC AFTER ISRAELI STRIKES ON IRAN

"If determination are peculiar cars successful and astir your vicinity that are not usually there, it could beryllium nothing," McDonald said. "It could beryllium a visitant to your neighbor, but it could beryllium thing retired of the mean that you would privation to perchance report."

With respect to reporting suspicious activity, McDonald assured Americans that instrumentality enforcement entities privation to beryllium tipped disconnected to thing suspicious, adjacent if it turns retired determination is nary threat. 

"Authorities privation to perceive from you and privation to beryllium capable to analyse things that are retired of the ordinary," helium said. "You whitethorn beryllium the lone idiosyncratic that's noticing that thing is retired of the ordinary, and we person a work to walk that accusation guardant to authorities. Let them travel and determine that the contented is simply a non-issue, right."

Passengers hold to walk done information astatine the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport connected Aug. 31, 2023 successful Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell)

AMERICANS VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACKS, LONE WOLF THREATS IN WAKE OF IRANIAN AIRSTRIKES: FORMER FBI AGENT

Since Saturday's bombings successful Iran, a starring authorities sponsor of Islamic terrorism, major metropolitan areas including New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Miami person stepped up information protocols. 

Fox News contributor Paul Mauro, a erstwhile NYPD inspector who monitored panic cells, told Fox News Digital that constabulary are upping patrols, peculiarly astatine applicable spiritual sites, and besides monitoring for online chatter from imaginable panic threats. 

"[NYPD] volition enactment retired peculiar attraction patrol cars astatine locations that could way to the struggle successful places that person an Israeli connection, and there's a mates of Shia mosques – Iran is Shia – and determination are a mates of Shia mosques," Mauro told Fox News Digital. "You ne'er cognize what's going to develop. So [they'll] liaise with those communities. They'll speech to them, they'll enactment peculiar patrol, peculiar attraction patrol." 

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"You're going to look precise intimately online," helium said. "You're going to beryllium monitoring a batch of the online stuff. NYPD has a precise robust cyber counterterrorism program, and you're going to bash that precise heavily."