Security Threats at the World Cup: Plan to Attack Messi

An American police report has revealed the security threats that both the FBI and the IPCC (International Police Cooperation Center) were tasked with neutralizing during the World Cup won by Spain. Among them, the threat of a suicide attack to kill Leo Messi stands out, the player who received the most threats throughout the tournament.

Before the match between Argentina and Jordan in the group stage, a man called the Dallas airport and threatened to storm the stadium with two other individuals carrying homemade bombs and an AR-15 rifle, explicitly mentioning Messi to kill him. The threats recurred before the Argentina-Egypt round of 16. "I will enter Atlanta Stadium and blow up Messi with four bombs strapped to my body," wrote one of the suspects on social media. In that same match, the police received another call stating the existence of three bombs inside several trash cans in the stands. It all turned out to be a false alarm after explosives detection dogs searched the entire stadium.

Security issues with Cristiano Ronaldo were also reported. Cristiano Ronaldo was affected by a security problem at Portugal's concentration hotel. According to the police report, FIFA reported to the FBI the presence of "a suspicious man" who was inquiring for "details" about Cristiano's accommodation. Two days later, the Houston police located and detained the same man inside the hotel where the Portuguese team was staying. Another individual was arrested in Toronto (Canada) for a similar incident attempting to take a selfie with Cristiano in the hotel elevator.

6,000 hate messages were directed towards the referees. French referee François Letexier received over 6,000 hate messages on his personal WhatsApp after officiating the controversial Argentina-Egypt match. The same happened to the VAR referee of that match, Willy Delajod. Due to the threats, security had to be reinforced for their homes and families in France.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Amenazas de seguridad en el Mundial: plan para atentar contra Messi