ISIS threatens terrorist attack during UEFA Champions League quarter-finals

UEFA Champions League 2023-24 quarter-finals are on the cards, as the 8 best teams across Europe get ready to face each other on Tuesday and Wednesday. The teams are already geared up to be at their best and beat their opponents to qualify for the last 4 of the toughest club tournaments of football. On Tuesday Arsenal will be facing Bayern Munich at Emirates Stadium, on the other hand, Real Madrid will be hosting reigning champions Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu. 

Ahead of the crucial clashes, the UCL is under threat after the terrorist group Islamic State dropped a threat against the four stadiums that will host the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Al Azaim Foundation, a media organisation responsible for distributing messages from the Islamic State (Daesh, ISIS), tweeted a picture of a banner threatening the Parc des Princes, the Santiago Bernabéu, the Metropolitano, and the Emirates Stadium.

Monday's warning comes after Sarh al-Khilafah, an ISIS-affiliated media source, tweeted a graphic on March 30 calling for an attack on fans watching the Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund match at Munich's Allianz Arena. The Madrid government has triggered security protocols for this week's Champions League double-header in the Spanish city.

UCL quarter-finals to be cancelled?

The Anti-Violence Commission has designated both matches, Real Madrid-Manchester City and Atlético-Borussia Dortmund, to be high risk, and more than 3,000 security security will be deployed to each. Approximately 8,000 Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund supporters are anticipated to travel for the away game. 

All the supporters are also high on alert as on March 2024, at the Crocus City Hall, a large concert hall in Moscow they made an attack. Several armed men came in disguise and fired automatic weapons at the crowd. The action resulted in 143 dead and around 200 wounded. The local police and other security will also be alert for the attack as there are several lives at stake. 

Despite all the chaos the fans will be hoping to see a good game of football from their respective teams.