Things have not gone according to plan for the host nation in the lead up to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. The latest bit of news is that officials in Rio told those participating in activities in the faeces-infested water to keep their mouths closed as they swim.
That’s on the absurd and ridiculous level.
A bit more scary, there are now growing concerns that the terrorist group ISIS might be looking to coordinate a dirty bomb attack at the Olympics.
According to The Sun, officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are working with local authorities to help guard Rio from a potential terrorist attack.
“Brazil’s anti-terror chief has already admitted there is a ‘credible threat’ ISIS will target Rio next month and said ‘numerous measures’ are being taken to prevent any attack. Counter terrorism director Luiz Alberto Sallaberry said the threat had increased dramatically in recent months due to attacks across Europe.”
With what we have seen in Europe over the past year, this shouldn’t necessarily come as much of a surprise.
Despite global conflicts that have marred the human experience in the past, the Olympics themselves have proven to be somewhat of a safe haven for the world’s nations. We have seen some violence in the past, but that’s been few and far between.
Unfortunately, the actions we’ve seen from ISIS over the past couple years suggests that it wouldn’t necessarily avoid the world’s biggest stage when attempting to carry out mass casualty events.
We’ve seen ISIS target sporting events in the past, with last November’s attack in Paris being the most prevalent example. A total of 130 innocent people were killed in that terrorist attack, which targeted an international soccer match between France and Germany.
With the increase in chatter and a large-scale recruitment base on the Internet, ISIS has become a major threat when it comes to a potential attack in Rio.
Counter terrorism director Luiz Alberto Sallaberry also pointed to the growing belief that numerous Brazilian nationals sympathize with ISIS militants. That should be cause for alarm as well.
This is a scary situation for everyone involved. Let’s just hope those tasked with protecting the millions set to ascend upon Rio are prepared for this threat.