Football stadiums targeted as part of latest Islamic State threat

Following the global attention and renewed fear following the 22 March Crocus Hall attack in Moscow, which marked the Islamic State’s deadliest attack on European soil, it was anticipated that the group would seek to maintain momentum and sow as much panic as possible in the aftermath.

This materialised yesterday through a call to action posted on The Al-Azaim Foundation, a media channel used by ISIS-K. The post urged followers to “kill them all” and listed four Champions League venues for this week: Emirates Stadium (London), Parc de Prince (Paris), as well as Metropolitano Arena and Santiago Bernabeu (both in Madrid).

Terrorist groups aim to spread fear to advance their agenda, which is likely the primary objective of this recent publication. However, this deviates from the usual approach, as the group rarely reveals both the location and date of an attack. The group is likely also leveraging the memory of the 2015 attack in France, where two suicide attacks and a bombing near Stade de France during a football match resulted in the deaths of 130 people.

The Tuesday evening games at the Emirates Stadium and Santiago Bernabeu proceeded without security incidents, as all stadiums have reported heightened security presence and procedures.