Greece has vowed to shoot down any aircraft trying to wreck the Olympics with a 11 September-style attack.
Any such plane "won't reach its target," Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis told state television.
However, the minister said such action would only be taken if a plane refused to change course after being warned. Nato Awacs surveillance planes are also to boost the massive security effort planned for the games, which are taking place in Athens 13-29 August. It is feared the huge profile of the Olympics - the first summer Games to be held since the attacks on New York, Washington, Bali and Madrid - could make Athens a prime target for terrorists.
Delegates impressed
"If a renegade plane, a plane that is not on its proper course over Greece, enters restricted airspace, and does not change course after being warned, it will not reach the Olympic stadium," Mr Voulgarakis said.
He was speaking after organisers unveiled their plans at a three-day security briefing for representatives of the 202 nations participating in the Olympics. About 70,000 police officers and soldiers will be patrolling the "Olympic village" northwest of the Greek capital and also all the Olympic venues.
In addition, tough restrictions on the movement of vessels in the Saronic Gulf off Athens will be in place. The International Olympic Committee earlier this month highly praised Greece's $1bn security arrangements for the Games - nearly four times what was spent in Sydney in 2000.
On Wednesday, US and Australian Olympic Committees - which in the past have questioned security arrangements - also said they were impressed by the security preparations.
"Greece will organise the safest Games that can be organised," US Olympic chief security officer Larry Buendorf said after attending the security briefing in Athens.
Here's hoping that the Turkish Generals start notifying Athens when flying in the Athens flight zone!
Η ζωή, η ζωή εδω τελειώνει!
"Science is one cold-hearted bitch with a 14" strap-on" - Masuka 'Dexter'
"Angela is not the woman you think she is Gabriel, she's done terrible things"
"So have I, and I'm going to do them all to you." - Sylar to Arthur 'Heroes'
So is Portugal (although we will first ask them politely if they don't mind doing a turn and head for Spain, payback is a bitch, they tried to send us a sinking oil tanker and that won't do )
Colonel Olrik wrote:So is Portugal (although we will first ask them politely if they don't mind doing a turn and head for Spain, payback is a bitch, they tried to send us a sinking oil tanker and that won't do )
Portugal has already closed it's borders, for the first time since the Shengen (spell?) agreement came into play. Although experts pretty much admit, it is to stop hooligans more than terrorists!
Η ζωή, η ζωή εδω τελειώνει!
"Science is one cold-hearted bitch with a 14" strap-on" - Masuka 'Dexter'
"Angela is not the woman you think she is Gabriel, she's done terrible things"
"So have I, and I'm going to do them all to you." - Sylar to Arthur 'Heroes'
Crown wrote:
Here's hoping that the Turkish Generals start notifying Athens when flying in the Athens flight zone!
Not much of an issue, the Turks never go anywhere near Athens, they only fuck around over the eastern Aegean islands. And if it does come to shooting, well things get extremely messy.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
Half of the Greek navy is patrolling too. They have orders to blow any approaching ships to hell if unauthorised, so the military must be playing a big part now.
If only they put that effort into making the actual stadiums...
The Greeks have a funny idea of combating terrorism if they expect this to be anything more than showmanship. The problem they have is that the security for the Olympics is untested and incomplete and I really don't think terrorists are going to try coming in on a ship or use a plane as a missile.
