With just 10 days before the start of the Winter Olympic Games, Italy announced on January 27 that it is prepared for any “eventuality that might disrupt the Games,” a reference to acts of terrorism, and will suspend the Schengen Accords if necessary. National police have established special units in the unlikely event of a CBRN terrorism; however, to date, there have been no public threats against the Games. And, Italian police will be the sole guarantors of security for participating teams, being the only armed security entities in Italy. To date, some 9,000 extra officers have been assigned Olympic duties. The only exception is for security forces accompanying head-of-state dignitaries. This security measure is one that resulted from the Munich Olympic massacre .

The Olympics in Turin, however, could be considered more of a target than in past Olympic Villages. The timing coincides with national elections’ campaigning beginning on February 11, while the vote is slated for April 9. This harkens to the Madrid rail attacks and their effects on the national psyche and voting there, and it has security officials concerned. A terrorist attack could have political consequences for a nation that rarely has one ruling administration for more than an few months; the right-of-center and US ally government of Silvio Berlusconi (see photo right) could be threatened and replaced by the left-of-center former Prime Minister Romano Prodi (see photo left). The withdrawal announcement takes the wind out of the opposition’s sail for the election season. Further, Italy has been mentioned repeatedly in al-Qaeda edicts as an ally to the US in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan. However, Defense Minister Antonio Martino (see photo below: defenselink.mil), announced to a parliamentary committee on January 20, that Italy would be withdrawing its 2,600 troops from southern Iraq “by the end of the year” and replacing them with “a civilian force.” Turin is also a symbol of Catholicism, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, yet has a sizable Muslim population. Turin is also a major economic and industrial center in Italy, with Fiat’s headquarters there. And, as in any Olympic Village, the live, global media coverage for millions of viewers makes for an attractive location for an attack, as was witnessed in Munich.