Should the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on the Seine be canceled? After the attack in Moscow, which cost the lives of at least 143 people, Europe is once again on alert in the face of the terrorist threat; and in particular France. The Ministry of the Interior has upgraded the Vigipirate plan to “Emergency attack”. French intelligence is particularly attentive to Central Asian nationals domiciled in the territory, who could be linked to the Afghan branch, said to be responsible for the attack in Russia.
“It remains our central plan”
At the center of intelligence concerns: the opening ceremony of the Paris Games, which should be a parade of athletes on the Seine. The latter would present too many risks to be kept as is. “We have to switch to plan B,” even recommended an intelligence source. However, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, wants to be reassuring. The ceremony as planned is being maintained, she announced this Saturday morning on Europe 1.
“It remains our central plan. You know that since the first day, we have been absolutely aware that this is a challenge that is unprecedented in its ambition. The energies are aligned to allow us to prepare it to the extent of what it represents, with the desire to offer the French and the whole world a spectacle of great beauty. It is a huge amount of preparation work, under the leadership of the Minister of the Interior and the Prefect of Police. Very careful security work depth is carried out”, she explains at the microphone of Lénaïg Monnier.
The minister confirms the presence of 45,000 police and gendarmerie personnel, supplemented by a “certain number” of soldiers, municipal police officers and even private security. The DGSI’s fear is to see mass terrorism return to France, committed with weapons of war or ramming vehicles. Commandos of three or four individuals dormant on the territory and activated remotely, from the Afghan zone. Counter-terrorism wants to avoid as much as possible the scenario of a coordinated attack on the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, in front of cameras around the world.