Europe tightens security for Champions League games after ISIS threats

The governments of France and Spain say they will reinforce security at stadiums in their countries hosting the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final following a terror threat from the Islamic State (ISIS).

On Monday, Al Azaim Foundation, a pro-ISIS media channel, reportedly published posters calling for attacks at stadiums hosting UCL quarter-final ties on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In one of the viral posters, an image of a terrorist wielding a gun was accompanied by a cryptic message that reads, “Kill them all”. The poster also included the names of all the four stadiums hosting the UCL match this midweek.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid will host Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu in Spain, while Arsenal will welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirate Stadium.

A day later, Paris Saint Germain will play Barcelona at home at Parc de Prince in France, while Atletico Madrid will also face Borussia Dortmund at the Wanda Metropolitano in Spain.

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Speaking on the situation, Gerald Darmanin, France’s minister of interior, said the threat from ISIS is “not new” but added that security at the Parc de Prince has been “considerably strengthened”.

“Regarding the game that will take place in the Paris region, the head of police has considerably strengthened security,” the minister said.

“We have seen, among other things, a communication from the Islamic State that particularly targets stadiums. It is not new.”

On her part, Pilar Alegria, Spain’s government official, called for “calm” and said “more than 2,000 police and civil guard officers” will be deployed to the stadiums hosting the UCL quarter-final in the country.

She added that the terrorism alert level had been raised to 4 on a scale of 5.

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Last month, ISIS claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, which claimed the lives of at least 115 people.