Shin Bet to help secure Israeli athletes in London

Shin Bet security service agents will accompany the Israeli competitors to the Olympics, but will keep a low profile so as to not embarrass the British, Maariv reported on Tuesday.

International security company G4S, which was hired by the International Olympic Committee to provide security for the Games, has come under fire recently over a failure to provide enough staff for the event. The British government drafted 3,500 police officers and soldiers to make up for the missing personnel.

Head of the Israeli delegation Efraim Zinger told Maariv, however, that everything was going according to plan.

“We have been working on this for two and a half years,” he said. “The British company is responsible for security checks, and less for our personal protection.”

A source told Maariv that although Britain declined an offer of Israeli expertise in securing the Games, an deal was struck to provide heightened security precautions for the Israeli team. In addition, Shin Bet bodyguards, who usually protect ministers and diplomatic missions, will travel with the athletes as a close-quarter, but low-key, security measure. The report didn’t mention whether the Shin Bet operatives would be armed.