Buildings along the Seine will have extra anti-terrorism protection in Paris 2024
The risk of terrorist attacks in Paris is increasing, so the perimeter of protection has been extended for the opening of the Olympic Games scheduled for 26 July 2024.
Paris police announced that they will extend the anti-terrorism perimeter to all buildings overlooking the Seine River, where boats carrying athletes will pass during the Opening Ceremony and where the Triathlon and Open Water Marathon events will take place.
The Prefect of Police of Paris, Laurent Nunez, announced that such measures will be extended to all buildings overlooking the famed river during the opening of the thirty-third Olympic Games of the modern era.
A press conference was held with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the president of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet, who stated that there will be 220,000 spectators who will be able to attend the opening ceremony for free, a very high number considering the reduction to almost half of the spectators according to the original plan.
“There is an anti-terrorist perimeter with a series of checks, and we now wanted to extend it to all the buildings with a view of the Seine, beyond what was established by the organisers,” explained Nunez.
However, he did not specify the final number of security forces that will be deployed for the inauguration of the third Summer Olympic Games to be held in Paris.
Among the details provided by the police prefect, it was revealed that areas near the Seine River in central Paris will be closed, as well as metro stations and adjacent museums such as the Louvre, Orsay or the Museum of Decorative Arts, among others.
The idea is that the museums will operate normally in the days leading up to July 26, as well as after the opening day, although they will have to undergo strict security checks, as will almost all important areas or potential targets for attacks in Paris.
As for the metro, Nunez confirmed that the lines will not be affected beyond the closure of certain stations. Although he did not specify which stations would be closed, it is known that they will be those closest to the event, while the rest will continue to operate normally. The numerous hotels along the 7 kilometers of the Seine in the center of Paris will operate as usual.
Ensuring the security of the Games is a priority for the French government, and these press conferences were held after French authorities arrested a 16-year-old teenager on Tuesday on suspicion of planning a possible jihadist attack during the Olympics.
The teenager, a French citizen, was arrested by agents of the General Directorate of Internal Security at his parents’ home in the Haute-Savoie region near the border with Switzerland. The operation was part of an investigation by the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office.
Such act of terror was confirmed by the young man himself, who admitted to “wanting to carry out an attack during the Olympic Games with a rifle and an explosive belt in the La Defense business district, northwest of Paris”.