Remember a year ago when the head of the Paris Olympics confidently declared that the French capital would be “ the safest place in the world ” when the Games open this Friday?
He may be right.
As Paris grids itself for the Games, the security measures are on full display.
45,000 police are aided by a 10,000-strong force of soldiers that have set up the largest military camp since WWII. Its location 30 minutes outside the Capital means they can quickly respond to any threat.
Then there’s the ‘reaper’ surveillance drones, helicopters with sharpshooters onboard, and special equipment to ‘disable drones’ that will police Paris skies.
Not incidentally, the airspace will be closed during the opening ceremony…a no-fly zone extending for 93 miles around the capital.
A so-called ‘iron fence’ now rings the river Seine (much to the local’s dismay.)
One of the security heads said that 155 people considered to be “very dangerous” potential terror threats will be ‘ kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games,’ with police serving unannounced raids of their homes for weapons and computers in some cases.
Special cameras with AI will monitor potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges.