4 months ago
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THIS Olympics will be held under a threat level like no other in history.
Islamist terrorists have vowed to carry out attacks on the Paris Games.
AFP
Getty - Contributor
AFPA furious Vladimir Putin, waging a brutal invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, has seen his Russian athletes banned from competing under the country’s flag — and he wants revenge.
Add to that the war in the Middle East, and illegal migration chaos across the continent, and you can see the French authorities are facing threats wherever they turn.
It’s a backdrop to give any counter-terror officer or military intelligence agent sleepless nights.
Yesterday we saw an early warning sign, with the arson attacks on the French high-speed rail lines.
Co-ordinated and strategic, this was designed to cause maximum disruption at a weak point in France’s defences.
It has all the hallmarks of a hostile state attack.
And there’s a long way to go yet.
In 2012 I was part of the team that helped secure the London Olympics from hostile threats.
As a former paratrooper who worked with our special forces, I know very well the dangers we face out there.
Guarding against attacks at an Olympics is a highly complex operation, which is why £350million has been spent on security in Paris.
Guarding against attacks at an Olympics is a highly complex operation, which is why £350million has been spent on security in Paris.
And already this month French intelligence officers have disrupted other suspected plots to cause carnage at the Games.
We know from past experience that France is under constant threat from both lone wolf and large-scale terrorist attacks, such as the Bataclan massacre in 2015.
I have heard from my security sources that the French have taken extreme measures to protect fans and athletes.
They have learnt a lot from our British teams, who will work alongside them at the Games.
The French are enforcing curfews on more than 100 people as part of a high-risk watch list because they pose such a serious threat.
An added vulnerability is the high volume of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and North Africa who are living rough in Paris and about whom the authorities know very little.
Traffic will be restricted around all key sites with hostile vehicle barricades — as you see on London bridges — to stop any vehicle attacks by terrorists.
Sniffer dogs will be trained to search for explosives around stadiums, while around 75,000 French police — more heavily armed than their British equivalents — will secure the Olympics sites.
Snipers will be posted at key points while SAS-style counter-terror teams are stationed in the area, ready to pounce if there’s any danger.
Plots to cause carnage
This will be a mix of teams in nearby units for rapid response and others riding in helicopters.
A no-fly zone will also be in place for much of the area around the Games, to block any drones from interfering.
High-end technology will be used on any that do get through, to trace the launch site and investigate.
And similar to the mobile missile batteries we had around London in 2012, the French will deploy short-range air defence systems in case they need to knock anything out of the sky.
The Olympics is a uniquely challenging security event.
As in London, there will be 10,500 athletes and around 15million spectators who all need protecting, though some are in more danger than others.
Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas’s terrorist army means Jewish athletes are particularly vulnerable to the Islamist threat at these Games.
Israel’s domestic intelligence unit Shin Bet has been allowed to accompany athletes and carry weapons for the duration to protect them from attacks.
This will be direct close protection. It’s worth saying we also allowed Shin Bet to protect Israeli athletes at London 2012.
Nobody wants a repeat of the horrific attack we saw at Munich in 1972, which left 11 Israelis dead after a Palestinian terrorist attack.
Cyber is also now a big part of any security operation.
Hackers from across the globe, but particularly hostile states such as Russia, North Korea and Iran, will look to exploit any weaknesses and steal data or embarrass a host nation.
Lured into traps
Putin’s Russia has a huge axe to grind, as mentioned earlier.
We’ve already seen one arrest of a suspected Russian intelligence officer in Paris who was boasting of his mission to disrupt the Games.
Dating apps such as Tinder and Hinge can also mean athletes are vulnerable if their profiles are found and posted online, or they are lured into traps by hostile actors.
There is the risk from environmental protestors and pro-Palestine mobs who may not be violent, but will seek to disrupt events with tactics such as gluing on, locking on, throwing paint or running around with banners.
Lone wolf attackers remain one of the most difficult threats to control.
They are low-sophistication and often use readily available objects, such as vehicles, or kitchen knives taped to their hands so they stay put.
Both Islamic extremists and even French nationalists are a risk in these scenarios.
All in all, it’s a threat list to send a chill down any security officer’s spine.
But that’s the job. Let’s hope it goes well from here.
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