The US is deploying over 1,000 military and intelligence officials to Brazil for the Olympics
Reuters/Bruno Kelly
The United States is prepared to deploy more than 1,000 law enforcement, special operations, military, and intelligence officials to Brazil with the Olympics set to kick off Friday.
Hundreds of personnel have already arrived in Rio de Janeiro as part of a highly classified effort to protect the 2016 Summer Games, including American athletes and staff, according to a US intelligence report obtained by NBC News on Friday.
The US Special Operations Command has also sent more than a dozen highly skilled Navy and Marine Corps commandos to Rio to work with the Brazilian Federal Police and the Brazilian Navy, senior military officials told NBC.
The US military has also readied rapid response military units if a rescue or counterterrorism operation is needed.
The operation incorporates all 17 US intelligence agencies and employs human intelligence, spy satellites, electronic eavesdropping, and cyber monitoring, according to the report.
“US intelligence agencies are working closely with Brazilian intelligence officials to support their efforts to identify and disrupt potential threats to the Olympic Games in Rio,” Richard Kolko, a spokesman for National Intelligence Director James Clapper, told NBC.
The two governments will vet more than 10,000 athletes and more than 35,000 security and police personnel. They will also cooperate in monitoring social media accounts of suspected terrorists and securing computer networks.
Brazilian police arrested nearly a dozen people two weeks ago who had suspected ties to the Islamic State.
Authorities have not detected any terrorist plans to attack the Olympics, which officially begin Friday with the opening ceremonies.
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