Champions League matches go ahead despite Islamic State terror threat

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — This week’s Champions League games are going ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat, the governing body of European soccer said Tuesday.

Several posters circulated on social media alleging to be from the Al-Azaim Foundation — a media arm of ISIS-K — called for attacks at the four stadiums hosting the matches this week. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the posts.

“UEFA is aware of alleged terrorist threats made towards this week’s UEFA Champions League matches and is closely liaising with the authorities at the respective venues,” UEFA said in a statement. “All matches are planned to go ahead as scheduled with appropriate security arrangements in place.”

There are two matches scheduled to be held in Madrid. Real Madrid hosted Manchester City on Tuesday and Atletico Madrid welcomes Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

There was no noticeable change to the security plans outside the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, with an extensive police presence already expected ahead of the match. There were no early reports by local authorities of unusual security incidents.

Arsenal played Bayern Munich in London on Tuesday and Paris Saint-Germain hosts Barcelona the following day.

"I want to reassure the public that we have a robust policing plan in place for tonight’s match (in London) and we continue to work closely alongside the club’s security team to ensure that the match passes peacefully,” Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan said.

Before the Arsenal game, there were no obvious indicators that security had been ramped up, with roads near the Emirates Stadium open as usual and fans milling about calmly.

France Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said police have considerably reinforced security around the Parc des Princes in Paris.

“We have seen, among others, a statement from the Islamic State, which is particularly targeting stadiums. It’s not new,” Darmanin said. “This morning we asked the general director of interior security to communicate the information we have with the other (security) services of the other countries hosting the quarterfinals.”

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the Crocus Hall concert venue outside Moscow on March 22 in which 144 people were killed.

The return matches in the Champions League are scheduled for next week.

PSG defender Danilo said he and his teammates “need to concentrate on the soccer,” but coach Luis Enrique said the threat was worrying.

“Who wouldn’t be concerned by that. Of course we’re concerned," the PSG coach said. "We hope it’s only a threat and that nothing will happen.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Police officers stand guard outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Police officers cordon off the road outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Police officers take positions outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Police officers patrol outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

Police officers arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Police officers check and seal the sewage system adjacent to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, before the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Police officers escort the bus carrying the Real Madrid players outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. A media outlet linked to the terror group has issued multiple posts calling for attacks at the stadiums hosting quarterfinal matches in Paris, Madrid and London. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

A memorabilia vendor outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal 1st leg soccer match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich in London, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

A general view of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal 1st leg soccer match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich in London, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Police arrive to patrol outside Arsenal's Emirates Stadium ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal 1st leg soccer match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich in London, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. This week's Champions League soccer games will go ahead as scheduled despite an Islamic State terror threat. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, left, speaks with manager Pep Guardiola, during a training session at the City Football Academy, in Manchester, England, Monday April 8, 2024, ahead of a Champions League Quarter final, leg 1 soccer match against Real Madrid on Tuesday. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A 16-year-old boy who was shot dead by police after stabbing a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth had been in a deradicalization program but had no links to an alleged network of teen extremists in the east coast city of Sydney, authorities said.

The boy had participated in the federally funded Countering Violent Extremism program for two years but had no criminal record, Western Australia Police Minister Paul Papalia said Monday.

“The challenge we confront with people like the 16-year-old in this incident is that he’s known to hold views that are dangerous and potentially he could be radicalized,” Papalia said. “But the problem with individuals like this is they can act at short notice without warning and be very dangerous.”

On the potential for the boy to have been radicalized, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was concerned by social media pushing extreme positions.

“It’s a dynamic that isn’t just an issue for government. It’s an issue for our entire society, whether it be violent extremism, misogyny and violence against women. It is an issue that of course I’m concerned about,” Albanese told reporters.

Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the boy had phoned police late Saturday saying he was about to commit “acts of violence” but did not say where. Minutes later, a member of the public reported to police seeing the boy with a knife in a hardware store parking lot.

Three police officers responded, one armed with a gun and two with stun guns. Police deployed both stun guns but they failed to incapacitate the boy before he was killed by a single gunshot, Blanch said.

The stabbing victim is a man in his 30s who was wounded in his back. He was in serious but stable condition at a Perth hospital, police said.

Blanch said members of the local Muslim community had raised concerns with police about the boy’s behavior before he was killed on Saturday.

The boy had said in a text message to associates, "I am going on the path of jihad tonight for the sake of Allah," Australian Associated Press reported, prompting several to alert police.

Police said the stabbing had the hallmarks of a terrorist attack but have not declared it as such. Factors that can influence that decision include whether state police need federal resources, including the Australian Security Intelligence Organization domestic spy agency.

Blanch said the Western Australia Police Force investigation did not need additional federal resources and he was confidence the situation was different from the one in Sydney.

“We are dealing with complex issues, both mental health issues but also online radicalization issues,” Blanch said Sunday. “But we believe he very much is acting alone and we do not have concerns at this time that there is an ongoing network or other concerns that might have been seen over in Sydney."

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said his government and the state education department had been aware of concerns at the boy's school about his behavior. Cook didn't directly respond to reports that several boys at Rossmoyne Senior High School, the prestigious government school he attended, were attempting to radicalize classmates.

“I'll leave that up the the Education Department to clarify,” Cook told reporters. “This young man was harboring some extremist thoughts, which is the reason why he was part of the Countering Violent Extremism program.”

Amanda Spencer-Teo, a parent of a Rossmoyne student, said multiple “red flags” had been raised about the behavior of some students.

“Parents have been raising this with the school for some time,” Spencer-Teo, who will be an opposition party candidate at state elections next year, told The Australian newspaper. “The school and the department have failed to provide information to those concerned parents.”

In the stabbings at a Sydney church on April 15, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb declared the stabbings of an Assyrian Orthodox bishop and priest as a terrorist act within hours. The boy arrested was later charged with committing a terrorist act. In the subsequent investigation, six more teenagers were charged with terror-related offenses.

Police alleged all seven were part of a network that “adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology.”

Some Muslim leaders have criticized Australian police for declaring the church stabbing a terrorist act but not a rampage two days earlier in a Sydney shopping mall in which six people were killed and a dozen wounded.

The 40-year-old attacker, who was shot dead by police, had a history of schizophrenia and most of the victims he targeted were women. Police have yet to reveal the man’s motive.

In this image from a video, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook speaks at a press conference in Perth, Australia Sunday, May 5, 2024. A 16-year-old boy armed with a knife was shot dead by police after he stabbed a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth, officials said Sunday. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

This image from a video, shows a parking lot where an incident occurred in Perth, Australia Sunday, May 5, 2024. A 16-year-old boy armed with a knife was shot dead by police after he stabbed a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth, officials said Sunday. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)

In this image from a video, Western Australian Police Commissioner Col Blanch speaks at a press conference in Perth, Australia Sunday, May 5, 2024. A 16-year-old boy armed with a knife was shot dead by police after he stabbed a man in the Australian west coast city of Perth, officials said Sunday. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)