World Cup security centre begins operations

Three weeks before the start of the tournament, a World Cup security unit has started operations.
 
Approximately 120 officials from German police and security agencies, world police organisation Interpol and the European Union crime-fighting bodies Europol and Eurojust will pull together intelligence on potential threats.
 
“It's about the whole World Cup security picture, from hooliganism to terrorism to crime,” an interior ministry spokesman said.
 
The advanced start before June 9 kick-off is for a seamless transition and to allow prep time for the arrival of teams and fans, as Togo became the first team to arrive in Germany this week.
 
German officials declined comment on a magazine report which said they considered at least 21 matches as facing an increased risk of terrorist attack. They have publicly acknowledged that both the Munich tournament opener between Germany and Costa Rica and the July 9 final in Berlin present high-value symbolic targets.
 
Of the 32 participating nations, five • the United States, England, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia • have suffered terrorist attacks by al Qaeda or like-minded militants.
 
Six more • South Korea, Italy, Poland, Australia, Japan and the Czech Republic • have troops in Iraq, while others, including Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands, have soldiers in Afghanistan.
 
German officials have held security consultations with another competitor, Iran, about potential threats from the militant opposition People's Mujahideen, which is listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation.
 
The Berlin-bases security centre will produce twice-daily updates throughout the tournament and distribute them to authorities throughout Germany, coordinating matters in a country where each of the 16 federal states has its own police force and intelligence service.
 
More than three million spectators will attend the 64 World Cup matches, spread across 12 German venues.
 
Some 1.5 million foreign fans are expected, many of them without tickets. Officials said the biggest policing challenge will be not in the stadiums but in some 400 “public viewing areas” across the country where many thousands of people will gather to watch the matches on giant screens.
 
The interior ministry spokesman said German authorities had been in touch with officials in Switzerland and Poland after soccer fans rioted in Basel and Warsaw last weekend. Germany also saw clashes at a match in Berlin.