Cobra set to protect Euros

Swiss and Austrian police certainly watched the images coming out of Manchester this past week with interest, as we were reminded that the days of the European football riot are far from over. However, when Euro 2008 kicks off on June 7th, they’ll have a little help with maintaining order and security, from none other than the Austrian special forces team Cobra.

(Sorry about the old G.I. Joe Cobra logo – I just couldn’t help myself.)

Cobra is known as one of the most effective special forces in the world, and of the 450 active members, 400 will be on various protection duties during the tournament. The group, technically called EKO Cobra, was formed after the attacks at the Munich Olympics, and has the distinction of being the only counter-terrorism group ever to retake a hijacked plane while still in midair. Long story short, they don’t mess around. So, while the police are dealing with the occasional yahoo with one too many pints in him, they at least know that a world-class anti-terrorism team is on board to deal with any real threat to the tournament.

It’s unknown whether this announcement has anything to do with reports this week that Euro 2008 may be on Al Qaeda target lists, but it’s reassuring that the best in the world are on the job.

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Category: Europe