World on security alert for the 2016 new year

Authorities taking all precautions to keep festivities terror-free

 

Scotland Yard cancelled all New Year leave for more than 2000 armed officers - the first time it has taken such a step. Photo / iStock

The world moved nervously into the new year today with security tight for public events in many major cities, especially in Europe.
Every firearms officer in London, for instance, was to be on duty to protect the New Year celebrations in an unprecedented security operation.
Scotland Yard cancelled all New Year leave for more than 2000 armed officers - the first time it has taken such a step - as part of the largest-ever police mobilisation for the festivities.
It comes after a "friendly" intelligence agency warned that Islamist fanatics may be planning a terror attack in a European city - although there was no specific information to suggest London will be targeted.
Yesterday Turkey became the latest country to announce the foiling of a holiday attack plot, detaining two suspected Isis (Islamic State) militants believed to be planning suicide bombings during New Year celebrations in Ankara.

"They were caught before they had the opportunity to take action," said the office of the chief prosecutor of Turkey's capital.
The men were detained in a raid on a house in the low-income Mamak neighbourhood, where police seized a suicide vest armed with a bomb, a second explosive device that was fortified with ball bearings and metal sticks and concealed inside a back pack, as well as bomb-making equipment, according to the prosecutor's office.
The two men, Turkish nationals, were being questioned by anti-terrorism police. The prosecutor's office said the men had staked out possible locations in Ankara where they could carry out the attacks.
In Belgium, an investigation was continuing into what authorities characterised as a "serious threat" of holiday season attacks directed at police, soldiers and popular attractions in the capital city of Brussels.
The arrest of two suspects was announced by the Federal Prosecutor's Office, with the seizure of military-style training uniforms, computer equipment and propaganda materials from Isis. No weapons or explosives were found.
Brussels officials were sufficiently worried about the remaining risks that Mayor Yvane Mayeur announced that a New Year's fireworks display and related festivities in the city centre were cancelled.
Mayeur told RTBF French-language television that 100,000 people turned out a year ago but that in current circumstances "we can't guarantee that we can check everyone".
Belgium has been one of Europe's leading recruiting grounds for foreign jihadi fighters, and was home to four of the November 13 attackers who killed 130 people in Paris, including suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud and fugitive Salah Abdeslam. Nine other people have been arrested in Belgium in investigations linked to the Paris attacks, which were claimed by Isis.
Yesterday, another police search linked to the Paris attacks was carried out in the Molenbeek area of Brussels, and a person detained for questioning, said Thierry Werts, a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor's Office.
In France, authorities were also clearly preparing for a possible worst-case New Year's scenario. About 60,000 police and troops were to be deployed throughout the country today. "The same troops who used to be in Mali, Chad, French Guyana or the Central African Republic are now ensuring the protection of French people," said Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
A previously scheduled New Year's Eve fireworks show in Paris has been cancelled; instead, there was to be a five-minute video display at the Arc de Triomphe that, in Mayor Anne Hidalgo's words, is aimed at "sending the world the message that Paris is standing, proud of its lifestyle and living together".
In Morocco, officials have doubled down on security ahead of New Year's festivities as intelligence services play a central role in Europe's effort to uncover extremist threats. Armed security patrols could be seen patrolling major sites, from churches to museums, in the capital city of Rabat and elsewhere. Popular nightlife spots have boosted security with systematic bag checks.
In the United States, officials in Las Vegas urged revellers to leave bags, backpacks and strollers at home . It's not the first time such a request has been made but following the deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernadino, California, it's getting extra emphasis.