Security raised for Champions League ties after threat
By Story Agencies, April 9, 2024Security will be increased at Champions League games this week after a media outlet supporting the Islamic State group published threats against venues.
Ministers in both France and Spain have confirmed enhanced security measures.
A pro-IS media channel has published several images of stadiums hosting quarter-final ties on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Uefa said it was aware of the threats, but said games in Madrid, Paris and London would go ahead as planned.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there would be “considerably reinforced” security measures in place when PSG play Barcelona in Paris on Wednesday.
Mr Darmanin continued: “I will remind you that only 10 days ago, IS shared a picture of the Munich stadium and said action should be taken against sports venues that host football games – although all sports can be targeted. Given how important the Champions League is for football, we are of course talking to our partners.”
The jihadist images posted this week did not refer to any particular match or event and were shared by pro-IS media groups not officially linked to the organisation itself.
Two quarter-finals are due to be held in Madrid this week. Real Madrid host Manchester City on Tuesday, while Atletico Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Pilar Alegría, Spain’s sports minister, has issued a message of “calm” ahead of the games in Madrid and said “more than 2,000 police and civil guard officers” are being deployed.
The acting mayor of Madrid, Inmaculada Sanz, told Spanish media there was no specific threat afoot, adding the terrorist alert level in Spain was four out of five, which is classified as high risk.
“These announcements are usually propaganda actions to provoke fear,” she said.
“Both the security forces and the intelligence services are studying any possible threat, but there is nothing that makes us foresee a situation of special risk.”
A counter-terrorism source told the BBC that IS did not normally advertise planned attacks, citing last month’s shootings at a theatre in Moscow. That had not been discussed in advance on any social media channels.
Arsenal play Bayern Munich in London on Tuesday. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “We’re aware of online and media reports in relation to calls to target matches across Europe and here in London.
“However, I want to reassure the public that we have a robust policing plan in place for tonight’s match and we continue to work closely alongside the club’s security team to ensure that the match passes peacefully.”
The pro-IS channel featured images of the Emirates Stadium in London, the Bernabeu and Metropolitano Stadiums in Madrid, as well as the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris.
Although the channel is not officially linked to IS, it is thought the directive to publish the threats may have come from the jihadist group itself, as its leadership recently hinted at close co-ordination between official media operatives and online supporters.