Greece Battles Olympic Security 'Hysteria'

[DC09]

ATHENS (Reuters) - If the strategy of the Athens Olympics security planners is to confuse would-be terrorists, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The snag is that three weeks before the Games open, everyone else is equally confused too, with rumors, conspiracy theories and paranoia reaching fever pitch. "Olympic terror hysteria" is loose in the country and abroad, To Vima, a major Greek newspaper, said Friday.

It is hard to argue with the assessment and probably even harder for a would-be attacker to work out what is going on, or what is fact and what is fiction.

Are foreign armed guards going to protect athletes or just foreign leaders? Whoever they protect, are they going to carry guns in Olympic venues or check them at the gate?

Are "Texas Sheriffs" and "Rambos" poised to ride into town, or just crew-cut American soldiers under the umbrella of NATO?

Is the Blimp now hovering over Athens -- whenever the wind drops enough for it to take off -- a sinister space age surveillance and communications craft or just a lot of hot air?

"(Public Order) Minister (George Voulgorakis) tries to calm Greeks over Olympic terror hysteria," said the daily To Vima.

Doing its part to ease concerns, the respected Kathimerini newspaper said on its front page "Olympic security fever is slowly dropping." Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States no one can deny that the world's biggest sporting event would be an inviting target for international terrorism.

Greece certainly believes so and is spending one billion euros ($1.23 billion) -- more than three times the amount spent at Sydney in 2000 -- on security, to the applause of countries around the world.

Not joining them are Greek taxpayers, who see the cost of the Games soaring by the month; other Greeks see a dark plot to trample on their civil liberties and independence.

Full Article

[BurnSide]

If i was a terrorist, the Olympics would be the perfect time to attack the states. Everyone is so damn paranoid about the security and threats in Athens that no one is really looking for an attack anywhere else.

My question has always been, why would you attack the Olympics? There's no point!! Nothing will happen. Silly people.

[Talon]

My question has always been, why would you attack the Olympics? There's no point!!

It makes a statement. But considering its in South-east Europe its more likely going to p*ss us off than the US

[BurnSide]

Exactly.

I don't find it makes much of a statement. I mean, if they wanted to make a statement on 9/11 the best way to have done that would have been to fly a couple planes into the Statue of Liberty. That would have been a statement. Terrorists want to attack the US, not a bunch of mixed forigeners in greece during some athletic skill contest.

[Cufflink]

A group of would-be attackers could copy the style of the Munich outrage, and target the athletes of a particular nation.

In 1972 it was Israeli athletes killed on German soil. This time?

[Babs]

The Olympics is a coming together of many nations; this gives the terrorists a great deal of attention and a platform with which to make their statement. I think it is also symbolic for them to interfere with this great event.

[BurnSide]

To much work.

As I said, with all the attention and commotion drawn to Athens now would be the perfect time to attack the US IMO. It would almost be to easy at this point. Troops abroad, security in Athens, attention drawn away from home...