Pro-ISIS group post chilling warning ahead of T20 World Cup game between India and Pakistan in New York
There are renewed fears of terrorist attacks at this year’s T20 World Cup after a chilling poster was released hinting at bloodshed in New York.
A pro-ISIS outlet published an image showing a hooded man with a gun slung over his shoulder. It said ‘You are waiting for the matches…’ and then – written in dripping blood red – ‘And we are waiting for you…’
The poster refers to June 9 at the ‘Nassau Stadium’, the day on – and where – bitter rivals India and Pakistan will meet in a group match.
It also includes images of drones flying over the stadium and a stick of dynamite with a ticking clock. DailyMail.com has contacted the ICC for comment.
The T20 tournament will be held between June 1 and 29 in the United States and the Caribbean.
There are fears of terrorist attacks at the T20 World Cup after a chilling poster was released
The poster referred to the newly built cricket stadium outside New York City
Eight games will be held in a newly built temporary stadium in Eisenhower Park – 30 miles east of Manhattan.
This includes the standout group stage match, which will see India and Pakistan meet in a sold-out match at the 34,000 capacity Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
The ICC previously downplayed fears of a terrorist threat to the tournament after reports that Islamic State had encouraged attacks.
Earlier this month, as reports of threats circulated online, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago Keith Rowley said: “Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism in its many and varied manifestations is an ever-present danger in the 21st century world. .’
“Given that bad actors can choose to misbehave in any way, it becomes virtually impossible to completely eliminate all opportunities.”
Bitter rivals India and Pakistan will meet in New York on June 9 in a highly anticipated match
“To mitigate these dangers, however, we have remained alert to many threats at local and regional levels and our intelligence and other security services have worked individually or together to protect populations in countries and locations during the tournament.”
The ICC and Cricket West Indies would not confirm that the threat came from Islamic State, whose propaganda channel, Nashir-e Pakistan, is said to have encouraged attacks on sporting events.
But in a joint statement, the ICC and CWI said: ‘We are working closely with authorities in host countries and cities, and are continuously monitoring and evaluating the global landscape to ensure that appropriate plans are in place to address the risks posed to our event have been identified.
“We would like to assure all stakeholders that the safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our top priority and that we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place.”