A professional wrestling event at Atlanta’s Philips Arena is one of several possible targets for Sunday attacks by Islamic State terrorists, an online post purportedly tied to the cyberactivist group Anonymous claimed Saturday.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said the agency was aware of the “alleged threat” and taking it “seriously” — but added that there was no “specific or credible information of an attack at this time.”
“We have, however, made the proper notifications as we continue to work closely with our law enforcement and private sector partners to keep our community safe,” J. Britt Johnson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office, said in a statement emailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks that left 129 dead in Paris, Anonymous renewed its cyber offensive against the Islamic State, claiming to have taken down thousands of social media accounts associated with the terrorist group. On Saturday, a group believed to be a subset of Anonymous posted online that three events in Paris were "at risk" of attack Sunday, as well as others in Rome, Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon — and Atlanta.
The post mentions by name the WWE Survivor Series, a professional wrestling event scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday at Philips Arena.
“There will be big events worldwide on the 22nd, go at your own risk,” the post said.
In a statement emailed Saturday afternoon, a WWE spokeswoman said Sunday’s event “is currently scheduled as planned while we investigate the matter with federal, state and local authorities.”
Late Saturday, the venue announced via Twitter that doors for the event would open at 6 p.m. and "significantly increased security measures" have been put in place. Bags will not be permitted inside the arena, and fans were encouraged to take MARTA.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency said the organization has “been in communication with the FBI and our state and local partners” but declined to comment further Saturday. The Atlanta Police Department referred inquiries to the FBI.
The Atlanta Falcons are also scheduled to play Sunday afternoon at the Georgia Dome, which is next door to Philips Arena. A spokeswoman for the Georgia World Congress Center — which operates that facility, the Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park — said that “in response to recent world events, fans may notice enhanced security, including increased law enforcement presence” on Sunday.
“While numerous processes are in place for fan safety,” spokeswoman Jennifer LeMaster said in an email, “we cannot discuss the specifics.”
In the days after the attacks in Paris, GEMA director Jim Butterworth told The AJC that no specific threat against Atlanta or Georgia had been received but the agency was remaining vigilant. Officials with the city of Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also said they were stepping up security efforts, both visibly and behind the scenes.
“The realization is that there are individuals that don’t agree with certain ways of life, and so they feel it necessary to attack and create an environment of terrorism,” Butterworth said. “We don’t want to respond to that, but what we do want to do is prepare and discuss and open lines of communication.”
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