A World Cup qualifying match between Israel and Albania had to be moved after Albanian authorities arrested four people who were allegedly planning a terror attack against the Israeli team.
The suspects were arrested in the city of Shkodër, where the match was scheduled to take place on Sunday. Albanian security forces stated that they made the arrests after being tipped off by the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency. The suspects are accused of planning to bring explosives into the stadium with the intent of harming the Israelis. “Newspapers reported that the suspects were linked to a group arrested in neighboring Kosovo on Saturday on the suspicion of planning attacks in the Balkans and receiving instructions from militants in Syria,” The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday.
“In recent days, Balkan officials have arrested individuals affiliated with ISIS who have planned terror attacks against a range of targets in the Balkans, including the international soccer game between Albania and Israel,” Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau said in a statement following the arrests. “Despite the arrests, and depending on the situation, there is still a significant threat of attacks in the area. Therefore, the Counter Terrorism Bureau is issuing a travel warning to Albania, where there is a concrete threat (level 2), and recommends Israelis refrain from attending the national team game on November 12.”
The match has been moved to the city of Elbasan, which is closer to the capital city of Tirana and therefore believed to be easier to secure. Security for the Israeli players will be tripled, Haaretz reported.
“We are not afraid. We are soccer players and we are thinking about the game against Albania,” defender Shir Tzedek told the Post. “I’m sure that those responsible for our safety will do what they need to do. It has nothing to do with us and we need to play soccer.”
Albania and Israel are in third and fourth place respectively in their qualifying group, both having earned two wins and one loss. They sit one point behind Spain and Italy, which both garnered two wins and a draw. The top team in the group, which also includes Macedonia and Liechtenstein, will automatically qualify for the World Cup; the second-place team will be entered into a playoff.
[Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90]