Brazil is "raising its guard and tightening security ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels and a threat by an alleged Islamic State militant," according to Paulo Prada of REUTERS. Brazil Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Admiral Ademir Sobrinho said, "A bell went off in terms of terrorism." He added that Brazil has "ramped up cooperation with foreign governments to prevent possible attacks from radical groups such as Islamic State or from a lone wolf." The Olympics are set to start Aug. 5 and Rio is "expecting as many as 600,000 foreign visitors." In addition to a police hub where officers from over 50 countries will help monitor security at the Games, "Brazil will also operate an anti-terrorism center with experts" from nations including the U.S., Britain, France and Spain. Andrei Rodrigues, a police inspector who heads a special secretariat the federal government established for security during big events, said, "We'll have people there from around the world to better share information and advise one another on their respective areas of expertise." It is not that Brazil was not "preparing for terrorism before." But after years of hosting big events, security officials did not "consider it the biggest concern." But the attacks that killed 130 in Paris last November and 32 in Brussels in March "forced a reassessment." An anti-terrorism effort "is now at the heart of their planning for the Olympics." So far, security officials familiar with the so-called intelligence "chatter" about the Olympics say that "no credible terrorist threat has been detected" (REUTERS, 6/1).
