Macron admits Olympics opening ceremony could be ‘limited’ due to security risk amid fears of ISIS attacks across Europe

FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron has admitted the Olympics opening ceremony could be cut back amid fears of an ISIS attack.

He revealed today that the sporting celebration might be shifted from the River Seine to the national stadium following the death cult’s slew of vile threats.

AFP

President Macron said the Olympic ceremony could be reduced as a ‘precaution’[/caption]

AFP

The number of spectators at the ceremony was already halved last month[/caption]

Getty

The event could be moved from the River Seine to inside the Stade de France[/caption]

Instead of teams sailing down the Seine on barges, Macron stated July’s showpiece event could be “limited to the Trocadéro” or “even moved to the Stade de France” as a “precaution”.

“We will analyse this in real time,” Macron said, adding that it was dependent on the scale of the security threat.

The move follows threats made by ISIS against Champions League matches held in London, Madrid and Paris last week.

France has already raised its threat level to the highest after the Moscow terror attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22 that left 144 dead.

ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based splinter cell of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the barbaric massacre.

Ahead of the 2024 games, Paris organisers broke with Olympic tradition by devising the first opening ceremony set to be held outside a stadium setting.

About 10,500 athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital on boats on the Seine along a 3.7mile route.

Until now, officials had denied the ceremony on July 26 would be moved to a different venue if it was threatened.

Today, Macron declared: “This opening ceremony… is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it.”

But, he added, “there are Plan Bs and Plan Cs”, including moving the ceremony to the Stade de France to the north of Paris.

He also said he would do “everything possible” to have an Olympic truce during the Games.

The truce is an historic tradition that peace reigns during the Olympics.

“We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners,” he said.

Organisers had originally planned a grandiose launch of the Summer Games for as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge from riverbanks.

However, Macron reportedly slashed the opening ceremony’s crowd size over fears of a terror attack.

Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators was halved.

Over 104,000 spectators are now expected to watch the parade from the waterfront and another 222,000 watch from bridges and streets.

The French government also decided that tourists won’t be given free access to watch the opening ceremony because of security concerns.

It comes as Europe is on high alert in response to mounting threats from a resurgent Islamic State.

France drafted in its most elite anti-terrorism unit to guard the Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona quarter-final on April 10.

The deployment of the fearsome Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) showed how seriously France was taking ISIS’ threats on their stadium.

Last week, German police arrested a warped cell of four teenage terror suspects planning an ISIS rampage with knives and Molotov cocktails.

The plot was uncovered as ISIS issued another chilling threat against the Euro games in Germany this summer.

ISIS propaganda magazine, Voice of Khorasan, released a particularly disturbing issue filled with calls to action for extremists around the world.

German officials believe they were directed at the upcoming UEFA tournament.

AFP

Constructions are underway at the Trocadero gardens – which may now help to host the opening ceremony[/caption]

ISIS launched threats against four stadiums that hosted the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League

A twisted ISIS poster shows an armed terrorist about to exit a German train