Paris Olympics 2024: Unprecedented Security Measures Raise Concerns

Protecting Paris: Police snipers and AI cameras will watch over Olympic Games

The Paris Olympics are fast approaching. Here's what you need to know about the first post-pandemic Games. PARIS - It could be the initial sparks of, say, a fire. Or someone appearing to flash a weapon. Maybe a vehicle enters an area that's closed to traffic or a crowd suddenly rushes forward. These are some of the potential danger signs French authorities will be watching for with the help of artificial intelligence at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Powerful security cameras positioned at Olympic sites and AI-assisted software will be used to detect trouble in real-time. Organizers of one of the world's most-watched sporting events have planned an extensive security operation targeting threats including extremist plots and cyberattacks, civil unrest and opportunistic thieves. The effort may see extra scrutiny after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Authorities are trying to "strike a balance" between keeping people safe and making the games accessible and fun, said Camille Chaize, a spokesperson for France's interior ministry. 'Sports can open up doors': How the Olympic Games can improve global diplomacy The French security net involves special anti-terrorism measures and legislation, tens of thousands of extra police and military personnel, and heightened patrols near landmarks and tourist sites. "We're quite satisfied with how it's been going so far," Chaize told USA TODAY. Behind that confidence lurks the dark memory of past mass casualty attacks in France and elsewhere. In 2015, Islamic State militants killed 150 people in one night of carnage in Paris. Some 86 were murdered the next year in Nice when an ISIS-inspired attacker plowed a 19-ton truck into a crowd on the French Riviera. In 2017, a lone gunman rained fire onto an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, murdering 60 and wounding more than 400. The "threat matrix" facing the Games - terrorism, cyber-attacks, protests - are all areas "the French are well acquainted with," a U.S. security official told USA TODAY. "With the coming of the Games, it becomes an issue of scale - the fact that there is just so much to protect." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the security mission. France has been at its highest level of terrorist threat alert, known as Emergency Attack, since October 2023 when a French national with apparent ties to Islamist extremism murdered a teacher in the northern city of Arras. In May, a police said they'd foiled an attack planned by a Chechen teenager. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the suspect had planned an "Islamist-style" strike on a soccer stadium during the Olympics. To be sure, protecting Paris is a tall order. Even under normal circumstances, tensions between the police and some neighborhoods and a tradition of aggressive street protests make France prone to civil unrest. As a perceived standard bearer of Western secular liberalism, the nation is also a prominent target for Islamist terrorist attacks. With the world watching, France will combine well-worn policing techniques with the latest technology. By the time competition starts, up to a million people will have had their backgrounds checked for any links to Islamist extremism or far right- and left-wing radicalism. Many of them are ordinary Parisians who live or work in buildings that line a four-mile stretch of the Seine River, where about 90 boats carrying athletes through the heart of one of the world's most magnificent citries will be paraded during the Games' opening ceremony. Around 35 security boats will accompany the athletes. Police and military snipers will line the route. The river-ceremony is an Olympics first. The Trump shooting, at a July 13 campaign event, illustrates the challenges of securing an event in a dynamic public setting Yet the threats are also harder to predict. Cyber-defenses at France's intelligence and security agencies have been primed to track and thwart a multitude of malicious actors who may seek to cause confusion - or worse - using tools from cheap drones to social-media-amplified disinformation. Labor, social justice, environmental and Middle East-connected protests, not uncommon in Paris, will be confined to specially designated zones - or so authorities hope. Pooping in Olympic river? Not even the 2024 Paris games can bring divided France together AI: tracking 'unusual patterns' One area of Olympics-related security that's been getting attention is France's use of AI to help ensure the safety of the estimated 15 million people expected in Paris for the Games. AI's impact is being felt across different sectors and industries. Its use at the Olympics is perhaps the most high-profile example yet of how it's being deployed to detect security threats. In the U.S., various laws at the state and local level have sought to regulate AI's facial-recognition capabilities. French law completely prohibits the public use of facial-and-biometric-recognition technology - something the AI-enhanced algorithmic video surveillance cameras deployed around the Olympic sites in Paris are capable of delivering. But AI will be used in Paris even if it's not, according to the government, tracking specific individuals. That's a scenario, rights groups caution, that could lead AI to be used to infringe on civil liberties. Mathieu Zagrodzki, a security expert at CESDIP, a criminal justice research center at the University of Versailles, said the AI cameras in Paris will be confined to Olympic sites and won't be used in public spaces more generally. He said they will track crowd movements, suspicious luggage and - most controversially because it raises questions about what kind of behavior counts as "normal" - what he characterized as "unusual patterns" of activity. Historic images: the 1924 Olympics in Paris "If, for example, there's a line moving in one direction and there's a person moving in the opposite way. Or maybe there's a person going forth and back. Or standing in a single location for quite a while," said Zagrodzki, who also acts as a consultant to French police. "Similarly," Zagrodzki added, "if there's a brawl or something like that, that will generate an alarm that will catch the attention of whoever is operating one of those AI cameras" so they can assess its significance. Chaize, from France's interior ministry, said French law allows police to "experiment" with AI surveillance, but the law does not extend to facial recognition and the trial is due to end next June. Paris Olympics 2024 schedule: Complete time, dates for each event at Summer Games She said the law permits authorities to use the AI cameras to monitor for eight "specific events." These include fires, if someone appears to have a weapon and if a vehicle is spotted going into a zone closed to traffic. "It enables us to identify possible problems and send a patrol to see what's happening," said Chaize. Chauize didn't respond when asked if the assassination attempt on Trump had caused French officials to alter Olympic security plans. 'Cops but also diplomats' While French authorities have overall responsibility for security at the Games, national governments will be protecting their athletes and citizens. Team USA has one of the largest delegations to the Paris Games. Nearly 600 athletes will represent the U.S. across 31 of the 32 sports on the program in Paris. They will be accompanied by U.S. Olympic officials, coaches, doctors, support staff and family. Representatives from the Games' U.S. corporate sponsors, visiting lawmakers, celebrities, sports fans and U.S. tourists will also be flocking to Paris. Sun, sand, security: Meet the special agent guarding the U.S. Olympic surfing team in Tahiti Much of that American protection will be coordinated through a security hub at the U.S. Embassy in Paris in a wood-paneled room that, when USA TODAY visited in June, had the look and feel of a college library. There, special agents from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, working alongside representatives from all the major U.S. security, defense and intelligence agencies, will be managing agents embedded with U.S. Olympic sports teams, sharing information and intelligence about threats with their French counterparts and helping to coordinate the emergency response in the event of a security incident or attack. "We are essentially cops but also diplomats," said one DSS official in Paris who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the role involves sensitive security planning. A second U.S. security official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity for the same reason, said France's authorities "had learned from" mistakes they made during a May 2022 Champions League soccer final between the clubs Real Madrid and Liverpool. During that event, police teargassed spectators and failed to protect them from gangs who attacked and robbed them at knifepoint. The State Department's travel advisory level for France is set at two of four, meaning "exercise increased caution" due to possible threats from terrorism and civil unrest. The second U.S. security official stressed it was France's responsibility to secure the Games, saying: "What if there's a cyber-attack? What if there's a stabbing in the metro? The French have their plans in place." French security officials believe elements associated with Russia could launch cyber-attacks because of its support for Ukraine, impacting public transportation, energy and even banking services. But what happens online may be harder to police. Andrew Obadiaru, chief information security officer at Cobalt, a cyber-security firm, said big events like the Olympics are "prime targets" for social media-fueled misinformation, disinformation and deep fakes. Obadiaru said that information Olympic attendees find on social media could lead them to believe, for example, that an event is canceled. AI might even be used to alter completely what an athlete appears to be saying. "Don't necessarily take at face value what is pushed to your social feed," he cautioned. "Especially if it appears to be significant. Don't immediately react off of it. Exercise some skepticism." AI: security friend or foe? Still, Shawnna Hoffman an expert on AI at Guardrail Technologies, which helps companies, governments and police control how they use AI, thinks France should be using more of the technology's potential. She said it's not facial recognition that is the problem but a lack of safeguards. Hoffman said, for example, that border protection programs in the U.S. take photos that are immediately deleted and that the AI cameras in Paris could be set up to do something similar. "What if facial recognition spots someone on a terrorist watch list and so is able to stop a massive bombing?" she said. "They are trying to manage the technology itself instead of the outcome." Zagrodzki, the security expert, said there is at least one "positive thing" about the security situation in Paris. "The Olympic crowd is not a difficult one," he said. "It not Serbia playing England in a soccer game," he said, referring to those nations' reputations for fan hooliganism. "It's a compliant crowd. Families. People who want to see Paris. I don't think fans of Bulgarian Olympic weightlifting will be looking to pick fights with fans of that sport from Kazakhstan."

With AI, jets and police squadrons, Paris is securing the Olympics -- and worrying critics

PARIS (AP) -- A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Trump assassination attempt highlights Olympic risks Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Critics fear intrusive Olympic security will stay after the Games Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

With AI, jets and police squadrons, Paris is securing the Olympics -- and worrying critics

PARIS -- A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

With AI, Jets and Police Squadrons, Paris Is Securing the Olympics -- and Worrying Critics

PARIS (AP) -- A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. The security operation, by the numbers A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Trump assassination attempt highlights Olympic risks Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Critics fear intrusive Olympic security will stay after the Games Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?" Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

With AI, jets and police, Paris is securing Olympics -- and worrying critics

A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-August 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks, and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. The security operation, by the numbers A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said General Eric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93.2 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Trump assassination attempt highlights Olympic risks Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against former U.S. President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said General Philippe Pourque, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Critics fear intrusive Olympic security will stay after Games Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

With AI, jets and police squadrons, Paris is securing the Olympics -- and worrying critics

PARIS (AP) -- A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

With AI, jets and police squadrons, Paris is securing the Olympics - and worrying critics

PARIS: A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. The security operation, by the numbers A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Eric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software - authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games - will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Trump assassination attempt highlights Olympic risks Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourque, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Critics fear intrusive Olympic security will stay after the Games Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

Paris' Olympics security plans include armed soldiers, fighter jets,...

PARIS -- A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be " the safest place in the world " when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organizers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. Here's how it aims to do it. The security operation, by the numbers: A Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. For visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring, just as it was initially for people in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorized by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Some involved in the Olympic security operation were stunned that the gunman armed with an AR-style rifle got within range of the former U.S. president. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen. Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. In France, in the last 13 months alone, men acting alone have carried out knife attacks that targeted tourists in Paris, and children in a park in an Alpine town, among others. A man who stabbed a teacher to death at his former high school in northern France in October had been under surveillance by French security services for suspected Islamic radicalization. With long and bitter experience of deadly extremist attacks, France has armed itself with a dense network of police units, intelligence services and investigators who specialize in fighting terrorism, and suspects in terrorism cases can be held longer for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of background checks have scrutinized Olympic ticket-holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He said some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belorussian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games "but we are being extremely attentive." Critics fear intrusive Olympic security will stay after the Games Campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms, and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, took aim at the scope of the Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception, far from it, but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?"

Vast security operation under way in Paris before Olympics

The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. A year ago, Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris Olympics, boldly declared that France's capital would be "the safest place in the world." When the Games open this Friday, Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now, with squadrons of police patrolling the streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble an erected, iron-like curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening ceremony. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-August 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped outside of the city centre, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. As such, the organisers are breaking with tradition by staging the ceremony with a parade on the River Seine and putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces. The unprecedented choice to stage some venues stretching for kilometres along the Seine has made safeguarding them more complex, yet, Paris will not relent as it has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. And here's how it aims to do it. Authorities in France have put up a games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes, also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II. It is expected that the soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. And their sight is something that will scare no Parisian. Since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group repeatedly struck Paris in 2015, armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. But for visitors from countries where armed street patrols aren't the norm, the sight of soldiers with assault rifles might be jarring. And that was initially the case in France. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Eric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones are among the measures that will police the Paris skies. During next week's opening ceremony, Paris skies will be closed by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometres (93 miles) around the capital. Ground security is not the only concern the Olympic organizers have. The International Olympic Committee has stated that it is ready for disinformation campaigns aimed at the Paris Games. With fears of possible cyber attacks, cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorised by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as [abandoned packages or crowd surges.](https://apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-health-seoul-79e57e256232588b92091bfa5b66ff31 >.) But campaigners for digital rights worry that Olympic surveillance cameras and AI systems could erode privacy and other freedoms and zero in on people without fixed homes who spend a lot of time in public spaces. Saccage 2024, a group that has campaigned for months against the Paris Games, aimed to expand the scope of Olympic security, describing it as a "repressive arsenal" in a statement to The Associated Press. "And this is not a French exception -- far from it -- but a systematic occurrence in host countries," it said. "Is it reasonable to offer one month of 'festivities' to the most well-off tourists at the cost of a long-term securitization legacy for all residents of the city and the country?". The scrutiny has also been extended to Olympic ticket holders, workers and others involved in the Games and applicants for passes to enter Paris' most tightly controlled security zone, along the Seine's banks. The checks blocked more than 3,900 people from attending, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. According to the interior minister, some were flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns. "We're particularly attentive to Russian and Belarusian citizens," Darmanin added, although he stopped short of linking exclusions to Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus' role as an ally of Moscow. Darmanin said 155 people considered to be "very dangerous" potential terror threats are also being kept away from the opening ceremony and the Games, with police searching their homes for weapons and computers in some cases. He said intelligence services haven't identified any proven terror plots against the Games, "but we are being extremely attentive." The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics will take place on July 26 and is expected to be watched by around one billion people globally.

Paris: Olympics host has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe

France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.A year ago, the head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France's capital would be "the safest place in the world" when the Games open this Friday. Tony Estanguet's confident forecast looks less far-fetched now with squadrons of police patrolling Paris' streets, fighter jets and soldiers primed to scramble, and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France's vast police and military operation is in large part because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented security challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered deadly extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Rather than build an Olympic park with venues grouped together outside of the city center, like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or London in 2012, Paris has chosen to host many of the events in the heart of the bustling capital of 2 million inhabitants, with others dotted around suburbs that house millions more. Putting temporary sports arenas in public spaces and the unprecedented choice to stage a river-borne opening ceremony stretching for kilometers (miles) along the Seine, makes safeguarding them more complex. Olympic organisers also have cyberattack concerns, while rights campaigners and Games critics are worried about Paris' use of AI-equipped surveillance technology and the broad scope and scale of Olympic security. Paris, in short, has a lot riding on keeping 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors safe. The security operation, by the numbers: Games-time force of up to 45,000 police and gendarmes is also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city's Olympic venues within 30 minutes. Armed military patrols aboard vehicles and on foot have become common in crowded places in France since gunmen and suicide bombers acting in the names of alQaida and the Islamic State repeatedly struck Paris in 2015. They don't have police powers of arrest but can tackle attackers and restrain them until police arrive. "At the beginning, it was very strange for them to see us and they were always avoiding our presence, making a detour," said Gen. Éric Chasboeuf, deputy commander of the counter-terror military force, called Sentinelle. "Now, it's in the landscape," he said. Rafale fighter jets, airspacemonitoring AWACS surveillance flights, Reaper surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters, and equipment to disable drones will police Paris skies, which will be closed during the opening ceremony by a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital. Cameras twinned with artificial intelligence software -- authorised by a law that expands the state's surveillance powers for the Games -- will flag potential security risks, such as abandoned packages or crowd surges, France is also getting help from more than 40 countries that, together, have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements. Attacks by lone individuals are major concern, a risk driven home most recently to French officials by the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. "No one can guarantee that there won't be mistakes. There, however, it was quite glaring," said Gen Philippe Pourqué, who oversaw the construction of a temporary camp in southeast Paris housing 4,500 soldiers from the Sentinelle force. 'Outage, a good rehearsal' A global tech outage that affected operations in many sectors on Friday proved to be a good test ahead of the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Saturday. "Yes there were some significant problems on the morning but it was pretty well dealt with," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. "It was quite a good rehearsal. Cyberattacks are part of everyone's daily lives. The Olympicss are a huge target obviously," Adams said. "We have a huge amount of safeguards in place. We have been assured by our people and partners that we are very, very prepared.