The Department of Homeland Security will be participating in the world cup, the only diffence is that they won’t be playing in any of the rounds, but they’ll be sure to help defend and ensure that the tournament is safe and secure through out it’s duration.
The event is slated to start in November, but security prep is underway.
This was made known according to a senior department official.
“We are committed to working closely with Qatar to make sure the world can enjoy a safe and secure World Cup,” Rob Silvers, the under secretary for strategy, police and plans at DHS, told ABC News in an interview. “We’re are going to be providing security support to our partner and we’re going to be doing that in a range of ways.”
Silvers said he is headed to Qatar this week to shore up those security partnerships.
One of the ways is by providing Transportation Security Agency personnel to provide baggage screening support for people attending the matches.
“We’re going to host a delegation from Qatar at a U.S. airport to show them our airport security practices here because obviously they are expecting a large number of visitors and we want to help them on that front,” Silvers explained.
The department has experience with large scale sporting events domestically, with the U.S. Secret Service taking the lead on security every February at the Super Bowl.
Silvers has also announced that the Secret Service will also be working on hand to ensure security.
Although the Secret Service won’t physically be on site, they will be providing training to the Qataris.
Coupled with the physical manpower, Silvers also explained they are providing cyber resources through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“We’re going to have our Secret Service providing support on protective details and on major event security coordination,” Silvers said.
However, the DHS official told ABC news that there is no credible threat to the World Cup, he still thinks it’s best to be prepared security wise, given the prominence of the tournament.
“it’s a large and prominent gathering, and we should always be prepared from a security perspective,” Silvers said.
