U.S. Assigns Over 1,000 Spies to Protect the Rio Olympics

The U.S. has assigned more than 1,000 spies to protect the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Hundreds of law enforcement agents, analysts and special operations personnel are in Rio, along with over a dozen commandos from the U.S. Special Operations Command, who are in Brazil working with the country’s police and navy, according to an NBC News review of a classified report on U.S. intelligence efforts.

The report documents an operation that includes all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. The security efforts include working with Brazil to vet more than 10,000 athletes and 35,000 security and police personnel, watch over terrorists’ social media accounts and cooperate in securing computer networks.

“U.S. intelligence agencies are working closely with Brazilian intelligence officials to support their efforts to identify and disrupt potential threats to the Olympic Games in Rio,” Richard Kolko, a spokesman for National Intelligence Director James Clapper, told NBC News.

Brazilian police recently arrested 10 people suspected of planning an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack; however, Brazil’s justice minister dismissed them as “absolutely amateur.” Thus far, there is no sign of a credible plot to attack the Olympic Games, which start with Friday’s opening ceremonies.

[NBC News]