Security at the upcoming Academy Awards will be reinforced after the FBI warned California authorities of a possible threat involving Iranian drones.
According to a report by ABC News earlier Wednesday, the FBI has recently briefed law enforcement agencies across California that Iran could retaliate for U.S. military actions by launching drones toward the West Coast.
Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment directly on the warning but told the Los Angeles Times that the department remains at an “elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance.”
Since the U.S. and Israel began launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Homeland Security Division has elevated its security posture, according to the Times. A source told the newspaper that the warning was cautionary and there was no indication Iran was planning an attack or that it could successfully launch one
At a press conference earlier Wednesday with officials involved in producing the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, set to take place this weekend, executive producer Raj Kapoor addressed questions about the safety of participants and guests.
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Iranian drone intercepted in the skies over Manama, the capital of Bahrain
(Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
“I feel like on this show, we have one of the best teams in the business in all aspects, and that comes down to our security team,” Kapoor said. “So, of course, every year we monitor what’s going on in the world. We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and it’s a close collaboration.”
“This show has to run like clockwork,” he said. “But we want everybody who is coming to this show, who is witnessing the show, who is even a fan of the show, when they’re standing outside the barricades. We want everybody to feel safe, protected, and welcome. It’s our job as a producing team to make sure that that translates, and that really comes down to us with this very tight relationship, and we have a whole other team of support. It’s something that we don’t take lightly and we take a lot of responsibility for.”
According to a report by Variety, attendees at the red carpet rollout event earlier today said security had indeed been increased, though the changes were not especially noticeable to the public.