By CWI Reassures Safety Amid T20 World Cup Terror Threat
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) has moved to calm concerns over security threats to the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, even as the Caribbean islands have received terror alerts for the global event from North Pakistan.
“We collaborate closely with authorities in the host countries and cities, continually monitoring and assessing the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any identified risks to our event,” said Jonny Graves, the CEO of the CWI, speaking to Cricbuzz on Sunday evening.
A security alert indicates that “Pro-Islamic State (IS) media sources have launched campaigns inciting violence against sporting events, which included video messages from the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, IS-Khorasan (IS-K), highlighting assaults in numerous countries and urging supporters to join the battlefield in their countries.”
Caribbean media reported that authorities are tracking potential threats to the World Cup. “We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our number one priority, and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place,” Graves added.
CWI Ensures Safety Amid Terror Threat to T20 World Cup
The Twenty20 World Cup is set to take place in the West Indies and the US from June 1 to 29.
A report in Trinidad’s Daily Express quoted the island’s Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, as saying that Caricom and security agencies are working to combat the threat to the World Cup. It has been further reported that Barbados regional security officials are monitoring potential threats to the ICC event.
Intelligence of a potential threat to the World Cup has been received through Pro-Islamic State (Daesh) via the media group “Nashir Pakistan.” According to the Daily Express, Nashir-e Pakistan is an Islamic State group-affiliated propaganda channel.
In the West Indies, World Cup matches will be held in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago. There are matches in the US cities of Florida, New York, and Texas, but there is no indication of any threat to the games in the USA. The two semifinals will be played in Trinidad and Guyana, with the final slated for Barbados.
When contacted, the ICC said its statement is the same as that of the CWI’s.
