Security personnel have arrived in Qatar from nations around the world which are providing resources to secure the FIFA World Cup (Picture: Getty)

British fans have been warned that terrorists are ‘likely’ to try and target the World Cup in Qatar — although security experts say the risk of a large-scale attack is low.  

The Qatari authorities are expected to intensively monitor crowds and individuals as an estimated 1.2 million international visitors descend on the Gulf emirate for the FIFA games. 

The UK is among participating nations that are providing military resources, security personnel and other types of support to the hosts.

Travel advice from the British government currently states: ‘Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Qatar. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.’ 

However two analysts told Metro.co.uk that an internationally-assisted security blanket will make any sophisticated attack unlikely in the oil-rich state, where the first game kicks off today.  

Security expert Will Geddes said: ‘Qatar is a reasonably secure location given it is a small country and it is pretty easy to control that environment.

‘The Qataris not only have their domestic security but they have brought in US and UK security advisors and personnel to assist.  

‘One thing you can say about Qatar is that they can throw money at security, making it very difficult for anyone to carry out an attack with any degree of sophistication. They will obviously be very conscious of the fact that they are now in the world’s glare when they have been striving for a long time to be the equivalent of Dubai. If they get this wrong, it will not aid their journey in trying to increase their profile.’ 

International assistance includes the UK tasking three Royal Navy ships with patrolling sea lanes around the Gulf state, checking for bombs and mines. The Ministry of Defence is also providing advanced venue search training, operational planning support and RAF air patrols through the joint Typhoon Squadron. The skyborne counter-terrorism element falls under an existing partnership between the two countries

Under a security pact 13 nations, also including France, Turkey and the US, have sent a range of support. Ankara has pledged to send riot police, sniffer dogs and bomb disposal experts to the games, where Qatar are due to play Ecuador at the 60,000-capacity Al-Bayt stadium in the opening fixture.

Pakistan has committed 4,500 troops to serve as security, with the first detachment having arrived last month.

Security guards stand at the entrance of a hotel in Doha where France’s national team is staying at the World Cup (Picture: Franck Fife/AFP)

The US has also made extensive arrangements, with Washington’s Diplomatic Security Service saying it has ‘numerous special agents and analysts’ at a joint operations centre in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Qatar’s own preparations included a five-day security exercise carried out last month, which followed three days of drills in November 2021.

Experts from all 13 nations including the UK were involved in the latest preparedness drills, according to the Qatari authorities.

A central command centre has been set up to co-ordinate and monitor the security operation, including at the eight stadiums.

‘The authorities will be monitoring crowds, including covertly monitoring behaviour and indicators,’ Mr Geddes said.

‘They will have a lot of technology that they will already have and will have brought in specifically for the World Cup process.

‘This will be right across the board, from monitoring CCTV cameras to communication networks. It’s a safe assumption that this will be the most heavily surveilled World Cup ever.’ 

The UK government security advice for Qatar refers to terrorist ‘statements’ threatening to attack western interests in the Gulf region, including residential compounds and public spaces such as restaurants, hotels, beaches and shopping centres.

Travellers are told: ‘You should maintain a high level of security awareness and vigilance, particularly during significant high-profile events such as the World Cup, and report anything suspicious to the local authorities.

‘Avoid large demonstrations. There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.’ 

No specific information is given about the threats but monitoring groups have reported malevolent chatter among terror groups and their supporters.

Qatari riot police take part in a World Cup training program in Turkey (Picture: Halil Fidan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel shared a series of posts earlier this month encouraging supporters to carry out violent and biological attacks at the World Cup.  

One of the messages described the event as a ‘golden opportunity’ for retribution against the countries which defeated the terror group in Iraq and Syria, according to the monitoring group.  

The Ultrascan AGI research project said it had picked up chatter among the Haqqani Network, a major stakeholder among the Taliban, discussing attacks on Western interests. 

The network was said by the international monitoring group to be acting on its vested interests as the Taliban tried to improve foreign relations, because it was not benefitting from international funding or been part of the militants’ Doha liaison office.

The chatter involved al-Qaeda and ISIS attacking targets at the World Cup including buses, trains and food courts in hotels, according to Ultrascan. Threat levels were said by the researchers to have been growing from November 17, with one communication referring to a ‘big party’ that ends with shots and explosions.

A Qatar security chief has said the World Cup security arrangements will make the games safe and secure (Picture Getty/Reuters)

Video clips and posts on social media – including a long convoy of security force vehicles displaying flashing lights – suggest the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East is getting underway amid tight security.

Hans-Jakob Schindler, of New York-based think tank the Counter Extremism Project told Metro.co.uk that a large-scale attack is unlikely due to the coordinated security approach.  

Mr Schindler said: ‘Any country that hosts this type of event has the same set of challenges, and these are no different in any way, shape or form for Qatar. Services from the different nations will have been working in advance of the World Cup over the past four years, which will have included setting up monitoring systems.

‘You can never say nothing will happen, as there will always be the unpredictable chance a radicalised, lone actor could carry out an unsophisticated attack, for example by grabbing a knife off a shelf and going out and attacking people.  

‘This type of attack happened in Melbourne, Australia, in 2018 when a terrorist who was known to police stabbed one person to death. 

‘But as far as a big, headline-making attack goes, the risk is very low. There is just too much riding on it for the Qatari government and they have quite effective international cooperation systems to prevent this from happening.’ 

Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, the emirate’s security chief, told the Qatar News Agency that the country is ‘home to highly qualified and trained police and security competencies and can ensure the security of the FIFA World Cup’.

Referring to the international cooperation between security forces, Mr Al-Thani said: ‘Our collective aim is security excellence.’

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact [email protected]

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Security experts judge the threat to be low despite the UK government urging travellers to be vigilant during the World Cup.