Russia's Interior Ministry has proposed conducting random checks for weapons and explosives on metro passengers to further increase transport security, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily said on Tuesday, citing police.

The proposal is the latest in a series of government measures to increase security in Russian transport hubs, which have been the target of several recent terrorist attacks

"The new measure would mean that by buying a ticket and entering the metro system, any person a priori agrees to allow the police or security forces to search them for illegal weapons or explosives," the paper said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed into law on May 3 a bill that grants him to impose additional security measures in the event of an increased terrorism threat.

Under the bill, Russia adopted a color chart similar to that used in the United States to indicate the terrorism threat level at any given time. The president can decide which measures to take in accordance with the threat level.

The move came a month after Moscow marked the first anniversary of twin suicide bomb attacks in the city's metro and less than three months after a suicide bomb attack at Domodedovo international airport outside the capital.

The combined attacks left 77 people dead and scores wounded and prompted police to tighten security at public transport hubs across the city.

Both incidents were blamed on militants in Russia's North Caucasus, where federal security forces have been fighting an Islamist insurgency for the past decade.

MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti)