Soccer-Olympics host France tightens PSG security after Islamic State threats

By Yann Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) -French police tightened security around Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday following a threat of attacks by Islamic State that adds to security worries ahead of the upcoming summer Olympics.

PSG play Barcelona later on Wednesday in a Champions League quarter-final to be viewed by millions around the world.

Spain and Britain also doubled down this week around their respective Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday and Wednesday after the resurgent Islamic State militant group urged attacks against host venues, including with drones.

The threats are particularly concerning for France, a long-time target of militant groups, as it gears up for the Paris Olympics in July and August.

At PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday, police began towing away parked cars and installing concrete blocks.

Senior police officers directed operations.

“We can see a lot of trucks and a lot of police. It’s pretty reassuring. Not everything’s deployed yet, but we feel safe,” Parisian Anthony de Oliveira said.

Spain said it had deployed more than 2,000 officers to boost security in Madrid for the games there.

On Tuesday, the Arsenal v Bayern Munich match in London and Real Madrid v Manchester City in Madrid went ahead without a hitch. Atletico Madrid play Borussia Dortmund in Spain in the fourth quarter-final on Wednesday.

Several police vans were parked in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor and officers flew a drone as dozens of Borussia fans enjoyed their drinks at cafe terraces in the landmark square, singing and waving to the drone.

“You do notice the threats and of course it gives you a bit of an uneasy feeling, but you can’t let it ruin your fun. We just hope that nothing happens,” 24-year-old fan Til Schwang told Reuters.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said levels of security at the Summer Games would be unprecedented that he was confident France could deliver a safe event.

“Security is the priority when it comes to the Games’ success,” Estanguet told reporters. “If we fall short on security, the rest counts for nothing.”

Ahead of this week’s Champions League games, Islamic State published a post urging followers to recreate a November 2015 attack on the Stade de France stadium. The post featured an image of the Parc des Princes stadium, according to Site Intelligence group, which tracks Islamic militant postings.

Another image seen by Site Intelligence urged militants to use drones to attack the stadiums.

After being largely crushed by a U.S.-led coalition, Islamic State has been slowly rebuilding its capabilities via underground sleeper cells.

Its Afghan branch, known as ISIS-K, has been particularly active in recent months. The group claimed responsibility for a mass-fatality attack at a concert near Moscow last month, and also carried out twin bombings in Iran that killed nearly 100 people earlier this year.

(Additional reporting by Michael Gore in Madrid, Writing by Gabriel Stargardter;Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Pritha Sarkar)