Terror threat emerges for World Cup

Caribbean governments are used to hosting global mega events but this year’s staging of the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup across the region is being done under the cloud of an international terror threat that security officials say they have detected in recent days.

Emanating from northern Pakistan, the threat to cause disruption to the tournament beginning on June 1 and running for the entire month, has led to a scramble of meetings and virtual consultations involving the regional security system known as IMPACS, the International Cricket Committee (ICC), federal agencies in the US and national police systems across the Caribbean. Players from nearly two dozen countries will take part in the tournament that will also be co-hosted by the US where games will also be played in Nassau County in New York, Lauderhill in Florida and Grand Prairie in Texas.

Trinidadian Prime Minister Keith Rowley who has responsibility for regional security and cricket, made the threat known to the cricketing world this week, saying officials are taking it seriously as the threat was laid bare by a Pro Islamic State media outlet had called for attacks against the World cup by warming that “people indulging in amusement would ultimately face the day of reckoning. This is not a game but rather a blood deal,” the group had said in Urdu. The ICC has also put out global warnings.

“We want to assure all stakeholders that the safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place,” the body said. The ICC supported its regional affiliate noting that “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.”

For his part, PM Rowley told the Express newspaper this week, as well, that authorities are working to beat back any threat from non-state actors.

“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. However, in order to ameliorate these dangers, we at the local and regional levels have remained alert to many threats and singularly or together have our intelligence and other security agencies working to protect the population in countries and at venues throughout the tournament.”

Competing teams will come from England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the West Indies, the US, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands, Oman, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, Oman and Uganda.

The mega game between cricketing and ideological rivals Pakistan and India will take place in the US, but a number of host nations in the Caribbean, Trinidad, especially, fear that ground will be empty when the lesser teams like Uganda and Nepal play games in the West Indies. They think the US has been giving the marquee games.

Grenada is one of the few regional nations, which has missed out on hosting games