With just about a month to go before the T20 World Cup 2024 begins in the United States of America and the West Indies, a concerning piece of news has emerged from the Caribbean islands, with a report suggesting that a ‘terror threat’ has been received by Cricket West Indies over the upcoming showpiece event. The security threat over the global cricketing event is said to have come from the North of Pakistan, prompting the cricketing body to jump into action and take stricter security measures.
“We work closely with authorities in the host countries and cities and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event,” Jonny Graves, the CEO of the Cricket West Indies told Cricbuzz on Sunday.
The report further claims that the security threat has arrived from Pro-Islamic State and it states that, “Pro-Islamic State (IS) media sources have launched campaigns inciting violence against sporting events, which included video messages from the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, ISKhorasan (IS-K) which highlighted assaults in numerous countries and urged supporters to join the battlefield in their countries.”
The CWI CEO, however, has assured all those participating in the even that security is the board’s utmost priority.
“We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place,” Graves said.
The threat has been received through Pro-Islamic State (Daesh) through the media group “Nashir Pakistan”, which is an Islamic State group-affiliated propaganda channel, according to the Daily Express.
The Twenty20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in both West Indies and the US this year, with the first match taking place on June 1, and the final on 29.
