Champions League quarter-final matches, nasa ilalim ng heightened security sa gitna ng mga banta ng Islamic State
(FILES) Police officers stand in front the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on March 10, 2020 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Dortmund. – Security will be “considerably reinforced” at Wednesday’s Champions League match in the French capital between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona after a “threat” from the Islamic State group, the interior minister said. Gerald Darmanin said the jihadist group had threatened all the quarter-final matches on April 9 and 10, not just PSG’s first leg clash with Barcelona at the Parc des Princes. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Nagpatupad ng seguridad sa Champions League quarter-final matches kahapon, Martes at muli ngayong Miyerkoles, makaraang magpalabas ng mga pagbabanta laban sa stadiums ang isang communications outlet na sumusuporta sa Islamic State group.
Ayon sa UEFA, ang governing body ng European football, na lahat ng apat na games sa Paris, Madrid at London ay matutuloy sa kabila ng banta ng jihadist.
Sinabi ni French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, “Security would be ‘considerably reinforced’ when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) take on Barcelona in the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. There had been ‘a clear threat’ publicly expressed by the Islamic State”.
Aniya, “The police, whom I spoke to very early this morning, have considerably reinforced the security measures.”
Sa kaniyang pre-match news conference ay sinabi ni PSG coach Luis Enrique, “I hope it is a thing we can control and that they are just threats and that nothing will happen.”
Ayon naman sa isang French source na may alam sa isyu, “IS has threatened the Champions League quarter-finals, not specifically in France, through one of its communication outlets.”
Sa linggong ito ay dalawang games ang ginanap at gaganapin sa Madrid. Ito ay sa pagitan ng Real Madrid at Manchester City (Martes), at sa pagitan ng Atletico Madrid at Borussia Dortmund ngayong Miyerkoles.
Sa ngalan ng Spanish government ay sinabi ni Pilar Alegria, na mahigit sa 2,000 pulis ang ipakakalat upang tiyakin ang buong seguridad.
Ayon naman kay Francisco Martin Aguirre, delegado ng gobyerno para sa Madrid, “We are going to have an exceptional deployment of security services, in line with the level of alert set out by the intelligence services.”
Sa London, kung saan nagharap ang Arsenal at ang Bayern Munich sa Emirates Stadium nitong Martes, sinabi ng Metropolitan Police na alam nila na tinatarget ang matches.
Gayunman, sinabi ni Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, “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.”
Sa pahayag ng UEFA na nagsabing lahat ng match ay matutuloy ay nakasaad, “UEFA is aware of alleged terrorist threats made towards this week’s UEFA Champions League matches and is closely liaising with the authorities at the respective venues.”
Laman pa ng pahayag, “All matches are planned to go ahead as scheduled with appropriate security arrangements in place.”
Ang pro-IS channel na naglabas ng mga panawagan para sa marahas na pag-atake ay nagtatampok sa larawan ng Emirates Stadium, ng Santiago Bernabeu at Metropolitano stadiums sa Madrid, maging ang Parc des Princes sa Paris.
Maraming mga bansa sa Europa ang nasa pinakamataas na posibleng antas ng ‘terror warning level’ matapos angkinin ng Islamic State ang pananagutan sa pag-atake sa isang concert venue sa Moscow noong nakaraang buwan, na ikinamatay ng mahigit 140 katao.
