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Security at Olympic stadium
Photo: AP

Report: Israel fears 'anniversary attack' at Olympics

UK's Sunday Times reports of growing concern that Iran, Hezbollah may try to target Israeli athletes at London Games

Israel has voiced serious concerns that Iran may try to stage a terror attack against Israeli athletes competing at the 2012 London Games, the Sunday Times reported.

 

The coming Summer Olympics, which will kick off on Friday, mark the 40th anniversary of the Munich Games massacre, which saw terrorists kill 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.

 

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What can be seen as the regular concern of terror attacks against Israelis worldwide has been exponentially amplified following the attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria, on Wednesday.

 

Five Israelis were killed and 32 others were injured in the attack.

 

Israel, Bulgaria and the US are investigating the attack. The US became involved after the terrorist was found to be in possession of a fake America passport.

 


האוטובוס ההרוס בבורגס (צילום: AP)

Scene of the Burgas attack (Photo: AP) 

 

The Israeli rescue mission dispatched to Burgas immediately after the attack included Mossad and Shin Bet officers, according to the Sunday Times.

 

The newspaper said that it was a Mossad agent, watching Sarafovo Airport CCTV footage, who spotted the suicide bomber. The terrorist's identity is still unknown.

 

The Burgas attack was, in many ways, Israel's nightmare scenario: The appearance of "stealth terrorists," whose detection is much harder.

 

Despite initial assessment that the terrorist was acting alone, Israel believes that he had at least one accomplice.

 

Bulgarian authorities have issued a sketch of a man described as an American citizen named "David Jefferson," who may have carried another explosive device with him.

 


משמרות המהפכה האיראניים במצעד (צילום: gettyimages imagebank)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (Photo: GettyimagesImagebank)

 

The report said that Israel has intelligence indicating that Iran's Quds Force – largely regarded as Tehran's hit squad – was planning to use a suicide bomber against Israeli targets overseas.

 

According to the report, the Mossad agents sent to Burgas informed both Jerusalem the agency's London station of the discovery.

 

The Israeli Olympic mission has already arrived in London.

 

The past few months has seen Israel detect – and thwart – several terror plots against Israelis, most recently one in Cyprus and one in South Africa.

 

Since May 2011 Israel has prevented more than 20 attempted terror attacks.

 

Nevertheless, there was no intelligence indicating Israelis in Bulgaria were about to become a target.

 

The attack has sparked greater concerns that it may be the first in a series, or a prelude to a bigger attack at the London Games.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.22.12, 06:52
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