A defence source told Reuters that Greece will have defensive missiles at the ready and plans an Athens-wide electronic dragnet to counter potential terror threats before or during the 2004 Olympic Games.
The security contract is worth at least $210 million and international consortia are vying for the security contract.
The source said, “but we expect it to go up to as much as 260 million euros. What we want to do is to make the visitors feel absolutely safe during their stay here. We will even have some defensive missiles ready”.
The Defense Ministry’s contract would also include closed-circuit television, electronic detection of VIP vehicles on the move and a massive electronic dragnet over Athens.
The company chosen will work closely with the newly formed Olympic Games branch said the source.
More than 7,000 civilians and soldiers will be on security duty during the Olympics.
“We will train or people to use this high-tech equipment to be ready even before the Games, because that is when there is also a potential for some kind of (terror) action”, said the source.
