The Met is ‘aware’ of an apparent ISIS threat against stadiums host the Champions League matches this week, while authorities in Spain and France say they are “on alert.”
The Al Azaim Foundation, a media channel responsible for disseminating messages from the terrorist group, shared a post threatening an attack on this week’s four quarterfinals.
This includes the Emirates Stadium in London, which will host Arsenal-Bayern Munich tonight, and the Santiago Bernabéu, where Manchester City will face Real Madrid.
The post, titled “Kill them all,” also mentions the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Metropolitan in Madrid, which will host matches tomorrow.
The Madrid police have activated all their “alert” and “response” systems following the alleged terrorist threat, while the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, said that tomorrow security will be “considerably reinforced” in the Parc des Princes. .
UEFA said it was aware of the threats but said the matches would go ahead as planned “with appropriate security measures in place.” A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told MailOnline the force was “aware” of the threat.
Islamic State has threatened to kill fans in London, Paris and Madrid over the next few days
ISIS reportedly threatened to launch an attack on the four stadiums that will host the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, including the Emirates. Pictured is a file photograph of police outside the field.
Former Metropolitan Police officer Norman Brennan said UK police and security services would also respond to the alleged threat depending on how credible they believed it was.
He told MailOnline: ‘MI5, MI6 and the Met’s counter-terrorism squad monitor everything to do with terrorism, including threats of attack.
“They are very advanced in this type of thing and will have plans based on how serious they consider the treatment to be.”
‘There will be an increased security presence with cameras and cars, while people connected to ISIS will monitor.
“Everyone will be on alert and allow people to get on with their lives; we cannot allow terrorists to decide how we behave.”
The Spanish Government has activated its security procedures for this week’s Champions League double-header.
More than 3,000 security members are believed to have been assigned to the matches in Spain: Real Madrid vs Manchester City and Atlético vs Borussia Dortmund.
That reportedly includes more than 2,000 National Police and Civil Guard officers, who will be stationed in the Spanish capital for the next 24 hours.
Just over 8,000 Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund fans are expected to travel to Spain for matches on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
The head of the Ministry of the Interior, Fernando Grand-Marlaska, stated this morning: ‘In terms of preventing the terrorist threat, the State Security Forces and Bodies have activated all their early warning and protection systems, as well as all their mechanisms. of response. ready and willing.’
He insisted that all safety protocols have been adopted to guarantee the safety of both players and fans inside the stadiums.
The latest Islamic State attack took place on March 22 at Crocus Town Hall, a large concert hall in Moscow.
Several men stormed the building dressed in camouflage and killed 143 people and injured 200 others.
The Stade de France was attacked by suicide bombers supporting ISIS in 2015. In the photo, spectators jump onto the pitch.
The ISIS threat will also bring back haunting memories of 2015, when France’s national stadium was attacked in a series of coordinated attacks across the French capital that left 130 dead and hundreds more injured.
Three people were killed and several others injured when two suicide attacks and an attack occurred near the Stade de France during the friendly match between France and Germany on November 13, 2015.
The series of attacks began at the stadium after the suicide bombers failed to enter the stadium. The sounds of the explosions were captured by microphones during the live broadcast of the match.
As safety fears grew, thousands of spectators were evacuated to the field while players watched from the tunnel. The German team spent the night in the stadium before returning to Frankfurt early Saturday morning.
Later, another group of attackers opened fire on crowded cafes and restaurants in the city, and one of them detonated an explosive, committing suicide at the same time.
Then a third group of terrorists carried out the deadliest attack of the night, a mass shooting at the Bataclan theater, where 1,500 people were attending a concert.
There, the gunmen took hostages, leading to a standoff with police, before they were shot or detonated their suicide vests.
Of the 130 people killed that night, 90 were killed at the Bataclan. Another 416 people were injured, nearly 100 of them in critical condition. Seven of the attackers were also killed.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to French airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq.
At its peak in 2015, the self-proclaimed Caliphate ruled an area with an estimated population of twelve million people on whom it imposed an extremist interpretation of Islamic Law, while having a fighting force of 30,000 people.
However, ISIS was largely defeated in the Middle East in 2019 at the hands of US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, which expelled it from the territories it controlled.
The defeat of the Caliphate has forced the group to resort to insurgent tactics, although it still maintains a significant presence in Africa.