Abandoned bag fans bomb scare
RIO DE JANEIRO – Whether it was a drill, a scare or a legitimate threat, an unattended bag outside the Welcome Center of the Rio Olympics Athletes Village created quite a stir Wednesday.
Members of the Brazilian security forces, including a bomb squad, swooped down on the Athletes Village late in the afternoon after an unattended bag was suspected to contain a bomb.
A bomb robot, according to a Brazilian volunteer manning the Welcome Center, was used to clear the area and make sure that the bag can cause no harm.
“It was just an abandoned bag,” said volunteer Laura Rezende, adding that police had to clear and isolate the area as part of the bomb protocol.
For over an hour, the main doors to the Athletes Village were closed to delegates and visitors, including Philippine chef- de- mission Jose Romasanta.
“We were led to another entrance,” he said.
After the area was cleared, an antibomb unit stayed behind to make sure there was no succeeding threat, and left the Athletes Village before 8 p.m.
The bomb scare at the Athletes Village came barely 24 hours after police and bomb squads trooped to the Olympic Aquatic Center due to a similar situation.
Another suspected package that the police found turned out to be a tool box for an electrician.
The incident at the Olympic Aquatic Center took place just 90 minutes before the Australian swim team was scheduled to train.
The twin bomb scare came very close to the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics on Aug. 5 at the Maracana Stadium, which is more than an hour away from the Athletes Village and the Olympic Aquatic Center.
Security in the different venues to be used during the Games as well as the Athletes Village are now tighter than it was more than a week ago when delegates from 206 participating countries started to arrive.
Brazilian National Guards roam the Athletes Village 24 hours a day, most of them carrying high-powered firearms.
Romasanta said the heavy presence of security even inside the Athletes Village only shows the serious efforts by the hosts to prevent any untoward incident.
Col. Jeff Tamayo, an official of the Philippine Olympic Committee and in charge of the security details for the Philippine delegation here, said the presence of armed police and military personnel within the Athletes Village and the venues only shows the high level of alert.
Romasanta said he was one of the guests who were prevented from entering the Athletes Village through the Welcome Center due to the police operation.
“Whether it was an actual bomb threat or a bomb scare or an exercise, authorities here are showing their capability to act fast to such threats,” he said.
Last July 21, police arrested 10 men suspected of planning terrorist attacks on the city during the Games. The suspected ISIS sympathizers were arrested after they exchanged messages on social media about plans to launch terrorist attacks in Brazil during the Olympics.