Greeks request Europol terror threat analysis for Olympics

By David Cronin

Date: 06/05/04

EUROPOL has been asked to carry out an analysis of the threat which terrorists pose to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

The request - made to the Union's police agency by the Greek government - comes amid complaints that the Athens authorities are not sufficiently prepared to thwart a terrorist outrage.

The fears were elevated yesterday (5 May) due to the explosion of three bombs at a police station in the central Kalithea district of the city. Even though nobody had claimed responsibility for the blasts by last night, the authorities moved quickly to dismiss suspicions they were linked to preparations for the 13-29 August extravaganza.

Instead, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis described the attack as an "isolated incident", while police indicated that domestic left-wing extremists were the more likely perpetrators than an international network like al-Qaeda.

According to documents obtained from the Council of Ministers, Greek officials on the EU's working party against terrorism have been arguing that the Union's governments and bodies should coordinate on a number of activities to prevent terrorism marring the Olympics. As well as having Europol carry out a study, these include designating "contact points" between EU law enforcement agencies and the appointment of liaison officers from member states.

In the immediate aftermath of the 11 March bombings in Madrid, Greece asked NATO to provide protection during the games. Gregory Johnson, the commander of NATO forces for southern Europe, has since held talks with the Athens authorities about the possibility that air and sea surveillance could be used for this purpose.

Last week US Olympic hero Mark Spitz warned his country may pull out of the games because of concerns due to their safety. Swimmer Spitz won four gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics, at which 11 Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists.

While America's Olympic Committee has dismissed the threat, the International Olympic Committee has been reported as taking out a €140 million insurance policy to guard against the possibility the games will be cancelled.