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"Al-Qa'eda threat to London Olympics"
The Daily Telegraph ^ | October 20, 2006 | John Steele and Philip Johnston

Posted on 10/20/2006 12:02:07 AM PDT by MadIvan

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The 2012 Olympic Games in London will be a "huge target" for Muslim extremist terrorists, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner warned yesterday.

Sir Ian Blair said detailed security plans were being drawn up for the event, with a team of officers already working on the project full-time. An estimated 200,000 people will be involved, including 70,000 volunteers, 40,000 construction workers, 30,000 security officers and 60,000 others – representing a major challenge in terms of vetting them to ensure they do not pose a security risk.

Sir Ian added that a terrorist risk assessment had been carried out by police as part of the Olympic bid, but 24 hours after the Games were awarded to London, the July 7 bombings took place.

"We know where we are now. There can be no doubt that the 2012 Games – if the scenario that currently exists stays the same – will be a huge target and we have to understand that and work on that basis."

Asked if al-Qa'eda might regard the Olympics as "the big one", Sir Ian said: "I don't want to consider what al-Qa'eda thinks is the big one. But there is no question that hosting an Olympic Games in a liberal democracy rather than in China poses different issues.

"Everybody knows this is where the Olympics will be. It is our responsibility to provide secure arrangements for a safe and happy Games."

Sir Ian made his comments as one of the grimmest pictures yet of the terrorist threat emerged from security sources. Al-Qa'eda, it is thought, has recovered from the destruction of the Taliban, its sponsors, and of its pre-September 11 camp system in Afghanistan, and its splintering into a loose collection of national groups affiliated to similar radical ideas."