The “Black September” operatives quickly forced their way into rooms occupied by Israeli athletes, taking a number of them hostage. After a multiple-day event that was watched by the whole world, an ill-fated hostage rescue attempt by German police saw the hostages murdered by their captors and five of the eight terrorists dead. Security for Olympic Games would be forever changed due to the terrorist attack on what should have been peaceful athletic events between cooperating nations. The world shared a common pain and sense of loss as expressed by ABC sports broadcaster Jim McKay when, referring to the murdered kidnapped athletics, he simply said, “They’re all gone.”

While over the years other Olympic venues have silently dealt with threats against their games, a home-grown, lone wolf terrorist with his own political theme was able to successfully attack the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic games. Eric Rudolph used a 40 pound pipe bomb to kill 2 and wound 111 in an explosive attack conducted against an open public park filled with hundreds of revelers. Rudolph was a fugitive for five years before being captured and sentenced to multiple life terms for his crimes.

Fully aware of the past attacks against the Olympic games and the recent Christmas day attempt to bring a plane full of passengers down with a bomb concealed in the underwear of the the want-to-be bomber, the RCMP led Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit is sparing no time, effort or money in their attempt to secure the 2010 Winter Olympic games in B.C. A security force estimated at 15,000 with a budget of almost one billion dollars has prepared for years for the upcoming 17 days of athletic events to be held in and around Vancouver beginning this weekend. Terrorists are not the only threat to the games though, this as security officials prepare to deal with anti-game protesters who indicate they will be out in force as the games open on Friday. People and property will need be protected, as will the Olympic flame as it enters B.C. Place Stadium for the opening ceremony.

Security preparations are being made by both Canadian and U.S. officials as both share a common border just 30 miles from the main site for the 2010 games. The U.S., for their part, has set up a command post in Bellingham, Washington where representatives of 40 different security agencies, led by the Department of Homeland Security, prepare for any worse case scenario that planners believe could be thrown at them by an attack against or related to an Olympic venue. A lone gunman, a dedicated radical Islamic Fundamentalist suicide team, or anyone else employing a weapon of mass destruction, to include a radiological “dirty bomb” or a chemical or biological agent is a threat that must be considered. While terrorists could attempt to sneak into Canada via a U.S. border crossing, authorities must also consider a successful attack where victims fled in mass from Canada into America via border checkpoints. Upwards of 300,000 people will cross into Canada from Washington State during the Olympics. One can only imagine the potential for mass casualties from a sarin gas or anthrax or smallpox attack against a large indoor venue. This was but one of many possible themes considered by authorities as they practiced on both sides of the border for such a nightmarish happening.

As an FBI Agent, I was involved in the security planning for a number of Olympic games. In 1994 I was responsible for assessing the threats made against one high profile U.S. skater, to include an anonymous letter where the writer threatened to be in the rafters high above the Lillehammer, Norway figure skating rink armed with a scoped rifle, waiting for the skater to take to the ice so he could put a bullet in her head. Obviously we took this and many other threats very seriously, and measures were taken to assure that this particular writer could not carry out his graphic threat.

With over 5,500 international athletics and upwards of 2 million spectators and visitors to the 2010 games and the surrounding area, security is a massive undertaking. A terrorist could arrive in B.C. by plane, boat, car, bus, train, or even on foot. This potential accounts for the need for over one-third more security personnel than were deployed for the Salt Lake City Winter Games held shortly after the 9/11 attack on America. Security personnel in Vancouver will be aided by the presence of 1,000 surveillance cameras that are silently monitoring the activities of everyone anywhere close to an Olympic venue. Officials are well aware of a section of the al-Qaida training manual that discusses destroying places of amusement, and Internet terroristic postings concerning how to conduct a terror attack against a sporting event by the use of multiple suicide bombers.

Vancouver and the RCMP Integrated Security Unit has had a full seven years to plan the security of an event where once again the whole world will be watching, thereby offering an ideal target for any lone wolf or dedicated terrorist group. Most hope that the biggest challenge faced by Olympic officials will be a lack of snow, something America’s show covered northeast would gladly truck the thousands of miles to Vancouver if they only could. In the meantime there are those demented, single interest individuals and religious fundamentalists desperately looking for the kink in the Olympic armor, the one opening they need to create murder and mayhem. We hope they don’t find it.

For information on matters of personal and family safety, to include a free copy of our DVD “Protecting Children from Predators,” see www.LiveSecure.org.