A recent assessment completed by British authorities appears to legitimize fears of terrorist activities at the Winter Games, which are set to open next Friday in Sochi. The less-than-calming conclusion of the assessment, which was shown to the BBC: terrorist attacks are “very likely to occur” either before or during the Games.
According to the report, the biggest threat to the safety of the international event is the Caucasus group Imarat Kavkaz, which has made no secret of its desire to cause trouble. This past summer the group’s leader, Emir Doku Umarov, urged his followers to do what they can to disrupt the Games this winter.
The British assessment notes that Imarat Kavkaz has no track record of attacking non-Russian interests—although it’s obviously unclear where the group would draw that line with Sochi the center of international attention. Still, some analysts have doubted the IK’s ability to strike during the games, what with the relatively small window they’d have to do so and the massive counter measures in place.
Russia, for one, has announced that it will add more than 37,000 extra troops and police to secure the area, creating what’s being billed as a “ring of steel” around the Olympic venue. NBC News reports that the United States, meanwhile, has prepared by placing two warships in the Black Sea and has planes on standby in Europe in case there’s a need for some type of mid-Games evacuation.
