During Olympic Season, Rio Sees Average of Three False Bomb Threats a Day
In the last 15 days leading up to Sunday (7) at 17h, the Federal and Civil Police received 47 calls with bomb threats in different parts of Rio. All were false alarms.
An average of three calls with false threats are received per day, in the capital alone. Normally the police does not see even two of the type in a month, in the entire state.
The fear of a terrorist act in the city during the Olympics has led the Federal Police and security agents from the United States to host trainings for car dealership owners and military police.
They were all alerted to the risks posed by an abandoned bag. The orientation was directed at taxi drivers and hotel staff. Since then, the number of abandoned packages reported to the policie has increased twentyfold.
Since July 24th, when the security plan for the Olympics entered into effect, locals and tourists have already seen various avenues -in the south, north and west zones-blocked until police are able to confirm that the threats are false.
Metro, train and even VLT (Light Rail) traffic has also been interrupted by bomb threats. On Sunday morning (7), there was a similar incident at the Riomar station of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), near the golf competition sites in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca.
The peak in incidents was seen during the Olympic opening ceremony last Friday (5) -five cases were reported, in different parts of Rio.
The SESGE (Special Secretariat for Large Events) says anyone who finds an abandoned backpack, bag, or package should call the police and avoid handling the item until the police have arrived.
Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ