This evening, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, a thousand police officers will be mobilized to ensure security for the 2024 Olympic football match between Mali and Israel. The resigning Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanindeclared on BFMTV that the meeting «is subject to an anti-terrorism security perimeter» and stressed the importance of the event for the security system, ensuring that the aim is to ensure a presence dedicated to sport.
The Israeli delegation will benefit from a strengthened security protocol during the Games, due to global tensions caused by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In this context, a police source told theAFP to expect possible disturbances around the stadium and suggested that there could be incidents of insults among fans, as well as displays of hostility such as booing or the removal of flags during the anthem. French police arrested a man in the Bordeaux area of southwestern France this morning who had planned an attack during the Olympics, a security source told Reuters, confirming the newspaper’s report The Parisian. Separately, the French anti-terrorism police PNAT told Reuters that an 18-year-old had been arrested in the Gironde department in southwestern France with the intention of committing one or more attacks against people but did not mention a connection to the Olympics. On Monday, a Russian citizen was arrested in Paris on charges of trying to destabilize the situation during the Olympic Games, theAgence France-Presseciting the Paris prosecutor’s office. “A case was opened on Tuesday on charges of working for a foreign country with the aim of inciting hatred in France. These charges are punishable by a 30-year prison sentence,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Over the past week, Israeli athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have received death threats, hate messages and phone calls from foreign numbers inviting them to their funerals. The first messages were sent to the email addresses of 15 athletes, signed by an entity calling itself the “People’s Defense Organization.” Among the threats was a reference to the 1972 Munich massacre, which the group said it would replicate. One message read: “Expect attacks at all times: at the airport, in hotels and on the streets that belong only to us. Not even a wave of arrests against our organization will stop us from carrying out our plan. Prepare for the Intifada!”
Although there is currently no active group with this name, it is worth mentioning that in 1975 a militant organization called the “Organization for the Defense of the People (ODP)” was founded as a militia in support of the government of the “Marxist Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola” against the “National Union for the Total Independence of Angola” and the South African Defense Forces. Considering the current extreme activism of South Africa against Israel, the reference is at least curious. It should also be added that, as reported by Times of Israelsecurity officials explained that they had analyzed the threats and discovered that they were generated by a bot and not by a real organization capable of posing a danger to the athletes. Lior Akermana former Shin Bet agent, told the Telegraph that the agents will be “equipped with weapons and technology” and will be supported by local security and police forces. He also added that “it is not possible to go into detail about the security methods, but the combination of Israeli experience and knowledge, along with cooperation with local security forces, offers an excellent and comprehensive response to the security of the delegation.” The risks that loom over the Olympics are many and range from sensational acts of disturbance during the competitions to real violent actions. This prelude to threats to Israeli athletes was widely expected and the security system aimed at ensuring the protection of participants is impressive. All this is happening at a very delicate moment for France, which is grappling with political stalemate and has been in an extremely problematic situation for decades, with a strong Islamist presence, especially in the suburbs. In recent years, the Hexagon has been the scene of numerous attacks on events such as the Bataclan (2015), the Stade de France (2015) and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice (2016), all committed by ISIS.
The fact that the threats come from bots and that the name of the organization does not correspond to any active terrorist group is certainly a positive factor, however, the situation should not be underestimated. It must be kept in mind that terrorist groups that plan attacks usually do not warn that they are about to strike and one must always imagine the unimaginable from them. So never think “they will not do this”, or “they will not try” because history teaches us that no target is safe without constant preventive intelligence activity.
The French security apparatus is already making considerable efforts to address the numerous threats, and further calls for mobilization are not necessary at this time. It is important to consider that, although Israeli athletes are the main target, other delegations from countries accused by extremists of supporting Israel could also be at risk, such as the United States, Germany, and the new Labour Prime Minister of England. Keir Starmer which is pro-Israel. Terrorists may plan multiple attacks, similar to those of November 13, 2015, accompanied by diversionary attacks to divert the attention of law enforcement and the counterterrorism apparatus. The sources of threat are varied and include Hamas and its main state backer, the Iranian regime, which exports terror globally, as well as Islamic extremists from Hamas and Hezbollah potentially supported by far-left activists and Islamic State terrorists.
