Security officials on high alert for threats to global showpiece

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Organisers of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States said there were on alert and national security agencies were taking all the necessary steps to ensure the event comes off without a hitch.

This issue surfaced following the circulation of a document on social media last week in Barbados that the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) had received information of a potential security threat to the tournament from the Pro-Islamic State.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, head of national security for the two-island republic and chairman of the CARICOM prime ministerial subcommittee on cricket, said the regional and international security apparatus was working to combat any security threat that could potentially disrupt the tournament.

“Given the fact that bad actors can choose to misbehave in any way possible it makes it virtually impossible to completely seal off all opportunities,” he told the Trinidad Express newspaper on Sunday.

Cricket West Indies and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport’s global organising body, said in a joint statement that “robust security plans” have been put in place for the tournament, which will be contested from June 1 to 29.

“We work closely with authorities in the host countries and cities, and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event,” the statement indicated.

“We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our No. 1 priority, and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place.”

The World Cup will be staged at venues in the Caribbean territories of Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Trinidad, and in the American states of Florida, New York, and Texas.

It will be contested by 20 teams, including West Indies, co-hosts and two-time champions, and the United States.

England are the defending champions.