FRANCE’S most elite anti-terrorist unit has been drafted in for tonight’s Champions League clash in Paris following ISIS’ threat to attack the game.
The heavily-armed specialist officers from the Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) are being deployed to guard the Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona quarter-final.
A highly-placed Interior Ministry source in Paris said: “Officers from the BRI, under the jurisdiction of the Paris Police Prefecture, will support the police deployed inside the Parc des Princes perimeter.”
But the deployment of the fearsome BRI – who usually arrive armed to the teeth with battering rams on standby – shows how seriously France is taking ISIS’ threats on their stadium.
It follows threats made by an Afghanistan-based splinter cell of the Islamic State, the so-called ISIS-K, against four stadiums in London, Madrid and Paris who are hosting the quarter-final matches this week.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the barbaric Moscow terror attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22 that left 144 dead – which sparked France to raise its threat level to the highest.
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While the Arsenal versus Bayern Munich match at the Emirates Stadium passed off peacefully last night, the French will be significantly “reinforcing” its existing security operation at the Parc des Princes.
The BRI was originally created to deal with violent gangs in the 1960s, but began to focus on terrorist groups in 2015, following the murderous ISIS attacks on Paris.
Suicide bombers claimed 130 lives, and wounded hundreds of others, in a lethal night of violence that started at the Stade de France, where the France football team were playing Germany.
Referring to today’s game, a Paris police source said: “Beyond anti-terrorism units, there will be up to 500 officers in and around the Parc des Princes.
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“They will be supported by a range of security devices, including drones, as well as intelligence agencies.”
The decision to step up security was made during crunch talks last night as Paris authorities discussed the threats made by ISIS and how to adjust their security proportionally.
On Monday night, ISIS posted sinister messages on social media saying it will target the quarter-final involving PSG and Barcelona.
One graphic poster depicted an ISIS fighter standing by the Parc des Princes over the message “kill them”.
PSG has also reported cyber attacks on its ticketing system over the past two days.
This raises the fear that terrorists are attempting to gain access to the stadium, which holds 48,000 people, the police source said.
INSIDE THE SECURITY OP
Yesterday, police in Madrid and Paris were busy ramping up their security ahead of the quarter-final matches.
France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, warned the security around today’s match between PSG and Barcelona was being “considerably reinforced”.
Chris Phillips, a security expert and former police officer, told The Sun that the security op will stretch beyond stadiums to city centres and busy transport hubs.
After ISIS singled out the game locations, he said armed cops will be on the lookout for trouble at “train stations, bus stations, even airports” which he says will be “an easier target”.
He added that at-risk areas in London, Paris and Madrid will likely be crawling with “firearms officers” as well as sniffer bomb dogs to deter any terror threat.
Spain also deployed 2,000 extra police officers to guard the Real Madrid versus Man City last night at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite maintaining its terror alert remained at four out of five.
Meanwhile, the Met Police said on Tuesday they had a “robust policing plan” for the Emirates on Tuesday but the “substantial” threat level remains unchanged.
Ahead of the first leg of the Gunners’ last-eight tie against Bayern Munich, security specialist Will Geddes said a “multi-layered” plan would have been formed.
Geddes, who has previously worked with a number of Premier League clubs on their security, told The Sun extra canine teams, spotters and counter-terrorism cops would likely be brought in to bolster the security op.
The ISIS threats were posted by the Al Azaim Foundation, a media channel responsible for disseminating messages from ISIS-K group.
The resurgent faction ISIS-K – a warped army of barbaric fanatics that even terrify the Taliban.
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The “K” refers to the historical region of Greater Khorasan, which included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K’s membership peaked in 2018 before declining – but now appears to be resurging.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
