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Athens could be al Qaeda target
ATHENS: Olympic hosts Greece are among the top 10 global targets for terror network al Qaeda according to a confidential report cited by a Greek newspaper.
Greece is seventh on the alleged international hit list behind countries like Israel and the United States, but ahead of Britain (
), the daily To Vima said.
"According to an updated edition of the analysis of the risks for the 2004 Olympics assessed by security services...Greece finds itself in seventh position globally in terms of a risk from an attack from al Qaeda," the paper said.
Greek officials refused to confirm or deny the existence of the report when contacted by Reuters. A government spokesman said on Monday Greece was not on a state of alert over possible attacks.
To Vima quoted an unnamed high-ranking official as saying: "Arab groups (are) targeting countries without particularly tough security measures who could be caught by surprise."
Athens has budgeted more than $600 million (366 million pounds) for security at the 2004 Olympics.
Olympic officials staged the second of three major anti-terrorism exercises on Friday, involving more than 500 people, security agencies, the fire brigade and coastguard.
The government signed a $280 million security contract with US-led consortium SAIC in May after a series of delays that sparked criticism from the International Olympic Committee.
Greece is seventh on the alleged international hit list behind countries like Israel and the United States, but ahead of Britain (
), the daily To Vima said. "According to an updated edition of the analysis of the risks for the 2004 Olympics assessed by security services...Greece finds itself in seventh position globally in terms of a risk from an attack from al Qaeda," the paper said.
Greek officials refused to confirm or deny the existence of the report when contacted by Reuters. A government spokesman said on Monday Greece was not on a state of alert over possible attacks.
To Vima quoted an unnamed high-ranking official as saying: "Arab groups (are) targeting countries without particularly tough security measures who could be caught by surprise."
Athens has budgeted more than $600 million (366 million pounds) for security at the 2004 Olympics.
Olympic officials staged the second of three major anti-terrorism exercises on Friday, involving more than 500 people, security agencies, the fire brigade and coastguard.
The government signed a $280 million security contract with US-led consortium SAIC in May after a series of delays that sparked criticism from the International Olympic Committee.
).
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