The ICC and Cricket West Indies have assured that a “comprehensive and robust security plan” is in place for the Men’s T20 World Cup after Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley confirmed that security agencies in the West Indies were monitoring a possible terror threat to the event.
Rowley spoke to the Sunday Express after reports of the terror threat, which had circulated on social media, emerged over the weekend.
“Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism in its many and varied expressions is an ever-present danger in the world of the 21st century,” Rowley said. “It is against this backdrop that all nations, like our region, when hosting large or vulnerable gatherings, make an extra effort in national security preparations and response readiness to take seriously, all threats, expressed or implied.
“Given the fact that bad actors can choose to misbehave in any way possible it makes it virtually impossible to completely seal off all opportunities.
“However, in order to ameliorate these dangers, we at the local and regional levels have remained alert to many threats and singularly or together have our intelligence and other security agencies working to protect the population in countries and at venues throughout the tournament.”
The ICC and CWI responded with a joint statement assuring stakeholders of the security measures in place.
“We work closely with authorities in the host countries and cities, and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event,” the statement said. “We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place.”
The 20-team T20 World Cup will be played in nine venues, six of them in the West Indies and three in the USA. The tournament runs from June 1 to 29, with Barbados scheduled to host the final.