Jacques Lambert, the organising committee president for Euro 2016, has spoken about the “tangible” threat posed by terrorists in the wake of the recent Charlie Hebdo shootings.
“The terrorist risk was present from the beginning,” Lambert told AFP.
“When I wrote the host bid in 2009, the terrorist threat was part of the 12 risks identified as major at an event like this.
“What the events in January have changed is that a theoretical risk has become a tangible risk, palpable, since it was carried through.
Earlier this month, two Islamist gunmen forced their way into the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and murdered 12 people. The following day, four people were shot and killed at a Jewish supermarket in Paris.
“It doesn’t probably change much for the security professionals regarding preparations of the event,” Lambert added.
“But you see that for everyone, public opinion, media, teams, it adds a special intensity.”
The European championships, featuring 24 countries for the first time, will take place in France from June 10 to July 10, 2016
