An elite French anti-terrorist unit will be on duty inside the Parc des Princes following threats by ISIS to attack Champions League games... and a cyber attack on Paris Saint-Germain.
The deployment of the BRI research and intervention brigade at Wednesday’s Champions League tie between PSG and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes shows how seriously the threats are being taken. 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.’
It follows an Afghanistan-based offshoot of ISIS, the so-called ISIS-K, issuing threats against cities including London who have been hosting games this week.
While Arsenal vs Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium in London and Real Madrid vs Manchester City in the Spanish capital passed off peacefully on Tuesday night, the French are not taking any chances, especially after PSG 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, said a police source.
The BRI was originally created to deal with violent gangs, 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 Wednesday’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. They will be supported by a range of security devices, including drones, as well as intelligence agencies.’
ISIS has posted sinister messages on social media saying it will target the quarter-final involving PSG and Barcelona. One graphic post depicts an ISIS fighter standing by the Parc des Princes over the message ‘Kill them’.
France increased its security alert rating to the highest level following ISIS claiming responsibility for the deadly attack on a concert hall in Russia last month, when 137 people were murdered.
The Al Azaim Foundation, a media channel responsible for disseminating messages from ISIS-K group, shared a post threatening an attack on four stadiums, also including the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, where Read Madrid played Manchester City on Tuesday.
ISIS-K stands for Islamic State Khorasan – an ancient name for a region encompassing Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan.