Putin offers Obama aid in Boston Marathon bombing investigation

MOSCOW, April 16 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance in the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured more than 140.

In a telegram sent to U.S. President Obama, Putin Tuesday offered condolences and said his country was ready to help U.S. authorities "if necessary," RIA Novosti reported.

Putin "strongly condemned this barbarous crime and expressed his conviction that the fight against terrorism requires the active coordination of efforts by the global community," the Russian government said in a statement posted on its website.

Three people died and 144 people were injured Monday when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. On Tuesday, President Obama called the bombings an "evil ... act of terror."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and no motive has been discovered.

The Boston Marathon blasts were a "clarion call" for Russia as it prepares for three global sporting events during the next year, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko told R-Sport on Tuesday. Ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia hosts the 2013 Summer Universiade in Tatarstan in June and the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in August.

"For Russia, which is about to stage a lot of large-scale events, this is a serious clarion call," Mutko said. "Of course, we will toughen up our security measures."