Al Qaeda group's threat to World Cup stars

SECURITY chiefs believe England’s World Cup stars are being targeted by an Islamic terror cell operating in South Africa.

Security chiefs believe England s World Cup stars are being targeted by an Islamic terror cell Security chiefs believe England’s World Cup stars are being targeted by an Islamic terror cell

England’s opening game against the USA is seen as a high-profile target for the Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group, which is led by Sheikh Moktar Ali Zubeyr.

Premiership players John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham are likely to be in the team and media coverage of an attack would send shockwaves around the world.

A secret report obtained by the Sunday Express identifies al-Shabaab as a “credible threat” to the England squad and the 25,000 fans expected to follow them to South Africa.

The Somali-based terrorist group has a presence in the Western Cape region of South Africa, as well as the country’s major cities, and is understood to have been behind a threat that prompted the US to close its embassy and consulates in September.

South African intelligence services are aware that elements of the Somali population, many of whom are living in the country illegally, have become radicalised by al-Shabaab.

They are known to have easy access to guns and explosives, making an attack on the England v USA game on June 12 at the 42,000 capacity Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, near Johannesburg, a real threat.

Al-Shabaab is certain to have been emboldened by the success of the attack on the Togo football team at the African Cup of Nations in Angola, which left three dead and seven injured two weeks ago.

Terror expert Lee Niblett, of Red24, a London international risk management company, and co-author of the report, said: “Al-Shabaab is certainly aware of the symbolic significance of an England v USA game. South Africa has porous borders and is home to five million illegal immigrants."

"Terrorist cells could have already entered the country for the purpose of preparing attacks. While we have not identified a specific threat, al-Shabaab has access to the means to stage an assault. An attack on the players, the fans or the stadium cannot be ruled out. It is a hugely symbolic target.”

Red24 has 70 staff in its Cape Town office and also works in Iraq, Afghanistan and other terror hot spots. Its head of operations is Neil Thompson, a former detective superintendent in Britain’s National Crime Squad.

The company is currently heavily involved in organising private security to a number of blue chip corporate clients due to attend the World Cup, which starts on June 11.

Al-Shabaab’s leaders have trained with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the group has also been linked to the Somalian who attacked Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard in his home on New Year’s Day.

At least 13,000 Somalis are registered as refugees or asylum seekers in South Africa, with 6,000 to 7,000 in the Western Cape, though the true figure is thought to be far higher.

Entitled South Africa 2010 World Cup – The Terrorist Threat, the report adds: “Teams from the US, England, France, Germany, Spain and Australia are from countries playing high-profile roles in the ‘war on terror’. They are regarded as legitimate targets by terrorist groups.”

Another group causing concern in South Africa is People Against Gangsterism and Drugs, suspected of killing two people in the 1998 Cape Town Planet Hollywood bombing, through a splinter group called Muslims Against Global Oppression.

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