England's opening World Cup match against the USA is being
targeted by a terror group linked to al-Qa'eda.
An immediate review of security was ordered last night for the
showpiece game in South Africa after an Algerian-based group posted
an online threat to bring 'deaths' in an explosion on the day of
the game.
Thousands of British and American fans are expected to descend
on the town of Rustenberg - 40 miles north of Johannesburg on June
12 - for the Group C game.
Terror: A group have
threatened to attack the Royal Bafokeng Stadium during the match
between England and USA
The fear of a terror attack is one of the biggest concerns of
tournament organisers with USA and Britain at the top of the target
list because of their leading role in the War on Terror.
The threats were made on a jihadist online magazine of the North
Africa terror group 'al-Qa'eda in the Islamic Maghreb', a militant
organisation based in Algeria.
The group said it planned to use a form of 'undetectable'
explosive that will be able to evade security checkpoints. The
article refers to an 'explosion causing hundreds of deaths'.
This incident put World Cup organisers on a heightened state of
alert for the forthcoming tournament and now there will be further
concerns about security at the 45,000 capacity stadium hosting the
game.
The terror threat prompted a response from FIFA Secretary
General Jerome Valcke.
He said: 'It does not mean that because we receive a threat, the
World Cup should not be allowed to be contested in South Africa or
any other country
'We have freedom in the world to celebrate what we want. As the
management of the organisation that governs world football, we know
there is a threat. We will not stop the organisation of the World
Cup because we got the threat.'
The Football Association would not comment but insiders said
that both the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office
and Foreign Office were aware of the threat.
More than 2.2 million tickets have already been sold for the
month-long tournament and South African police have insisted their
World Cup security plans are adequate despite the threats made
ahead of England's match against the USA.
Hurdles to get over:
England's match with USA will have a high security
presence
British anti-terror expert Professor Paul Wilkinson of St
Andrews University said yesterday that the threat should be taken
seriously.
He said: 'It is genuine and very similar to many other al-Qa'eda
websites That doesn't mean what is stated on such websites is to be
believed.
'On the other hand, the message may have the effect of
mobilising an individual or group to carry out an attack and it is
essential for the authorities to increase security. '
The threat comes at a time of growing concern over the expansion
of al-Qa'eda in Africa. While Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have all
supplied fighters to Jihadist groups - a hard-core of terrorist are
now being trained in Somalia.
Earlier this year the Togo team was ambushed as it travelled to
the African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola - killing three and
injuring a number of others.
A group called the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of
Cabinda - which has no known links to al-Qa'eda - later claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Last night South African police chief Vishnu Naidoo questioned
the credibility of the threat, but added: 'Interpol will be based
in South Africa during the duration of the tournament.
'They have also established a database of all persons involved
in organised crime, from hooliganism to terrorism.
'No one from that database will be allowed here. We also have
our own intelligence community here, the police, army, secret
service, working on a daily basis, monitoring potential
threats.
'Our police officers are being trained by the American police to
combat chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.'
Terror experts said it was unusual for al-Qa'eda and linked
organisations to give advance warning of their precise target,
tactics and plans.
Professor Paul Wilkinson added: 'It is unusual, to say the
least, for al-Qa'eda and affiliate organisations to give advance
notice of their precise target and the tactic they will use.
'However, the authorities can't afford to ignore it, because
people reading this message will include militants who mightÂ
think this is something they want to do.
'The deliberate pinpointing of this match highlights the hatred
al-Qa'eda has for our country and the United States.'