what we know about the threats of an attack on the Champions League match

A “reinforced” system is deployed in Paris to ensure the security of the quarter-final first leg of the European competition, announced Gérald Darmanin.

Despite the threats made by the Islamic State group, Paris Saint-Germain will welcome FC Barcelona to the Parc des Princes, Wednesday April 10 at 9 p.m.. The terrorist group posted publications online earlier this week suggesting attacks targeting the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

In a tense security context marked by the preparation of the Olympic Games, the Moscow attack and the strengthening of the Vigipirate plan at the end of March, security around the stadium was “considerably” reinforced, announced Gérald Darmanin on Tuesday. Here’s what we know about it.

Threats of attacks broadcast by the Islamic State group in Khorasan

The al-Azaim Foundation, the propaganda organ of the Islamic State in Khorasan (EIK), has put several publications online ahead of the Champions League matches. In one of the visuals, a fighter with an assault rifle poses in front of photos of the four stadiums hosting the quarter-finals of the European football competition. A sentence, written in English in blood-red letters, accompanies the montage: “Kill them all”.

The terrorist organization – which claimed responsibility for the attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall which left 144 dead on March 22 – made new threats in another message. In a reference to the November 13 attacks, the EIK called on its supporters to “recreate the glory of the 2015 Paris raid and subdue the Crusaders en masse.”

These threats do not only target the PSG-Barcelona quarter-final first leg, organized at the Parc des Princes, but also the other match of the evening between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the Spanish capital. The first two quarter-finals between Real Madrid and Manchester City on the one hand (3-3), and Arsenal and Bayern Munich on the other (2-2), took place on Tuesday without incident.

A “considerably” reinforced security system in Paris

On the sidelines of a visit to the premises of the river brigade in Paris on Tuesday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reacted to these publications. “The police chief, with whom I spoke very early this morning [mardi]has considerably strengthened security means”he explained. Tuesday evening, a meeting was organized at Place Beauvau, in the presence of the minister, the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nuñez, and senior police and gendarmerie officials.

According to the newspaper The Teamnew resources must be dispatched on Wednesday evening, such as drones and BRI police officers. On franceinfo, Reda Belhaj, spokesperson for the police union SGP Île-de-France Unit, specifies that“at least a thousand” Additional police personnel will be deployed.“This means almost doubling the number of CRS personnel on site and around the Parc des Princes”he explains. “A note from the police prefect and requisitions from the prosecutor will allow us to carry out bag searches”continues the union official.

Furthermore, Gérald Darmanin asked the DGSI to transmit the information available to France regarding the threat of the EIK to the “services of other countries hosting the quarter-finals”. The internal intelligence organ “is particularly hard at work providing preventive or, if necessary, curative information”he clarified.

In Spain, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, explained that “state security forces and bodies [avaient] activated all their warning and protection systems”before the meeting between Atlético and Borussia Dortmund, reports the Iberian daily ABC.

“No proven threat”, according to government spokesperson

UEFA said “informed” threats weighing on sporting events. The organizer of the football competition specified in a press release on Tuesday that “all matches” would take place. During the report of the Council of Ministers, the government spokesperson, Prisca Thevenot, remained cautious. “There is no proven threat, and this was recalled by the Minister of the Interior earlier in the Council of Ministers, but our caution and our responsibility remain at all times.”she said. The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin had nevertheless mentioned, the day before, a “clear threat publicly mentioned by the Islamic State”.

For Eric Delbecque, internal security expert and former director of security at Charlie Hebdo after the attacks of 2015, the authorities must not fall into psychosis. “We are not more threatened than usual, as we have been regularly for several years”he explains to franceinfo. “The fact that the Islamic State is increasing threats against targets is not very new.”