Thousands of missing Libyan missiles threat to London Olympics
Thousands of missing missiles that have fallen into the hands of terrorists after the fall of the Muammar Gadaffi regime in Libya now poses a threat to the London Olympics next year, a media report said.
More than 10,000 shoulder-mounted missiles are still unaccounted for after the chaos that led to the toppling of Gaddafi in October.
Egyptian authorities have already captured five groups of smugglers taking Libyan weapons toward the border with Israel, Sunday Express reported.
The news comes as the defence ministry announced details of a vast military presence to protect the Games. It however denied this was a response to a "new threat alert".
A defence ministry spokesman said: "This is still a police-led operation and we are providing no more in terms of security than what had been originally planned."
But a security consultant, who made a comprehensive risk assessment of the London site, said: "We are extremely aware of the issue of missing missiles from Libya."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said security for the Games will include 13,500 soldiers who will be supported by armed plainclothes special forces and snipers.
More important is the placing of HMS Ocean on the Thames at Greenwich. Ocean will carry a contingent of Royal Marines and special forces and support sniper-carrying Lynx helicopters, the newspaper added.
It is fitted with Siren, which uses a variety of jamming techniques against missiles.
