Due to security concerns, France will supply special police personnel to protect Israeli participants during the Olympic Games, starting on Friday with the opening ceremony.
In a correspondence with his French counterpart, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated, “There are those who seek to undermine the celebratory nature of this joyous event.”
“We currently have assessments regarding the potential threat posed by Iranian terrorist proxies and other terrorist organizations who aim to carry out attacks against members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympics,” Katz stated.
Because of the increased risks and security concerns associated with the Olympics, particularly with Israel’s involvement, European authorities have been on high alert. Radical and terrorist organizations demand that the nation be held accountable for its activities in the Gaza Strip.
A video purporting to show a fake Palestinian threat of attacks on France went viral on social media due to the ongoing high tensions. Before a security source could inform the AFP that the video was most likely the result of “a Russian operation under a ‘false flag,'” they pointed out “several clues” that undermine the authenticity of the video.
Amid anti-Israel protests, French authorities have assigned over 1,000 elite anti-terrorist officers to serve as a “ring of steel” for the Israeli team, according to Reuters. With great pleasure, officials announced that Wednesday’s soccer match between Israel and Mali, the first tournament involving Israeli athletes, passed a security inspection.
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency will work with the French police to keep the area and Games safe for their athletes, but other criminal threats remain major concerns as the games get underway.
Belgian police on Thursday detained seven people suspected of planning a terrorist attack, with authorities reporting that the individuals may have participated in “the activities of a terrorist group,” including financing and preparing for an attack.
The police explained that “the specific targets of the attack had not yet been determined,” but the threat had risen to the level of requiring police raids on 14 homes across Belgium, according to German outlet DW.
The timing of the raids — just one day before the Games begin — prompted questions of links between the attack and the competition, but Belgian and French authorities did not comment on whether there were any such links.
The preparation and focus on more international tensions has also allowed other crimes to occur before the Games get underway. French prosecutors earlier this week opened an inquiry after an Australian woman reported that five men allegedly attacked and gang-raped her.
An investigative source told The Telegraph the woman was wandering around the northern Pigalle district in Paris over the weekend in an apparent state of distress and disarray. She then reportedly confronted one of her alleged attackers in a kebab shop, but he fled before police could arrive.
CCTV footage captured the latter confrontation, but Paris prosecutors would not comment on the video while confirming a gang-rape investigation. No arrests have been made, nor have police released any descriptions of the alleged attackers.
