A senior police official has issued a warning and increased security for the India-Pakistan World Cup cricket match here next month, citing threats from ISIS-K to launch a “Lone Wolf” attack.
The terror group is “calling for that ‘Lone Wolf’ to act out” in a video that has gone viral, according to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, who oversees the match that is set to take place on June 6.
“Lone Wolves” are terrorist organisation members or sympathisers who work individually and independently of the organisations, making it more difficult to find and apprehend them.
“Directed the New York State Police to engage in elevated security measures, including an increased law enforcement presence, advanced surveillance, and thorough screening processes,” stated New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday.
At a press conference, Bruce Blakeman, the head of Nassau County, which borders New York City, stated, “We make sure that we are on top of every situation that could potentially arise.” To that purpose, we have implemented numerous safety measures.
At the press conference, Ryder said that more police would be sent to the Eisenhower Park cricket stadium.
He continued, “When it comes to the security and safety of the residents here, we will go over every little detail.”
Prior to this, there was some confusion on the seriousness of the threat expressed in a chat group by ISIS-Khorasan, the terrorist group that operates out of South and Central Asia as a branch of the Islamic State.
Hochul had stated that “there is no credible public safety threat at this time,” but he also stated that “we continue to monitor the situation closely,” prior to the news conference by Nassau officials.
“To ensure the safety of New Yorkers and visitors, my administration has been working with federal law enforcement and Nassau County for months,” the speaker stated.
During the press conference, Blakeman stated, “We take every threat seriously.” For each threat, the same protocols apply. We don’t downplay the risks. We follow up on every lead we have.
“Everything is credible when you have a game and a crowd this size,” Ryder remarked.
He claimed that they had been receiving threats from “what’s called ISIS-K” since April, “where it was a global and international style threat.”
He remarked, “After that, it became a little bit more specific about the actual match between India and Pakistan without naming the location.”
“And then, as you were all watching the video that went viral yesterday, they are demanding that the ‘Lone Wolf’ take action.”
He was alluding to a video that ISIS-K had placed on a British chat site that showed “an image of the cricket stadium at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County with drones flying over it showing the date, “9/6/2024,” when the India-Pakistan match took place.”
According to NBC New York TV, county officials “say they’ve requested the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to make Eisenhower Park a no-fly zone for drones” in response to the drones being shown as attack vehicles.
ISIS-K has threatened to launch terror attacks on India in addition to carrying out attacks in Pakistan.
The most recent threat is made more serious by the fact that ISIS-K militants killed roughly 130 people in a concert hall attack in Moscow in March.
The 30,000-seat World Cup Cricket venue was constructed especially for the competition and will share US matches with the Dallas arena.
It will begin on June 1 with an exhibition match between Bangladesh and India. On June 3, India will play Sri Lanka, and on June 12, India will play the United States. Additional tournament matches will follow.
According to NBC New York TV, Nassau County has never before undergone such extensive security planning for a World Cup event, and it is being handled similarly to presidential debates.
It stated, “Local hospitals also involved just in case they’re needed,” as one of the safety measures.
The threat was originally made public by the British daily Express, which claimed that it was also aimed at European stadiums, such as Wembley Stadium.
ISIS “followers are encouraged to target major events,” according to the statement, which included the World Cup of cricket.
The Express described the posts in a chat room on the British website Matrix as “there were also extensive discussions on the forum as to how the terror group should use drones laden with explosives to murder civilians at major sporting events across Europe.”
“Chat room members who shared the stadium threats listed their terror skills, including firing AK-47 rifles,” according to The Express. “They also discussed sums of money in pound Sterling, suggesting some might be based in Britain.”