IT MUST NOT FAIL -- BAHRAIN'S FORMULA ONE GRAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000379

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA, M, S/CT, DS/ATA, INR, DS/ITA, NEA/EX,
AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2014
TAGS: ASEC PTER BA
SUBJECT: IT MUST NOT FAIL -- BAHRAIN'S FORMULA ONE GRAND
PRIX SECURITY PLAN

Classified By: Robert S. Ford, Charge d'Affaires,a.i. Reasons 1.5(B).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On 03/16/2004, RSO coordinated a meeting
with top MOI officials to discuss the GOB's security plans
for the upcoming 2-4 April 2004 Bahrain Formula 1 (F1) Grand
Prix. As the first such motorsport event ever held in the
Middle East, the Bahrain Grand Prix has captivated the nation
while presenting monumental challenges to the GOB to have the
technical and security aspects ready in time. With an
anticipated 550 million worldwide viewers and an
unprecedented domestic capital investment, the Bahrain Grand
Prix could prove decisive in the country's future legitimacy
as a sporting, business, and tourism destination. From a
safety and security point of view, the advisor to the
Interior Minister stated most candidly to the RSO that F1
"will work; it must not fail. That is not an option." The
MOI's preparations are impressive, and in summary reflect in
part the participation of several senior MOI officials in ATA
training courses. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) WHO IS INVOLVED? The Federation Internationale de
l'Automobile (FIA) oversees motorsports and sets the
standards. The Formula One conglomerate, headed by Bernie
Ecclestone, drives event scheduling and enforces technical
and security requirements for host venues. For the Bahrain
Grand Prix, F1 expects 550 million television viewers and
about 40,000 to 45,000 attendees. The GOB has heavily
invested time and money (over BD 56.2 million -- USD $150
million on facility construction alone) and massively hyped
this immense multi-national event. Nearly all tickets are
sold, according to the senior Ministry of Interior advisor.
The organizers do not have an idea from where visitors will
originate as corporations have purchased large blocks of
seats and distributed them to their clients and staff,
however. Noteworthy attendees will include King Abdulla of
Jordan, the Duke of York, King Mohammed of Morocco, the
Sultan of Brunei, of course the Bahraini ruling class, and
countless VIPs and so called "VVIPs." Gulf Air is the Grand
Prix's major corporate sponsor.


3. (C) THE VENUE. Bahrain had no pre-existing support
infrastructure or even a motorsport industry before winning
the bid to host this race. Out of a stretch of barren,
southwestern desert, which by driving is 35km from downtown
Manama, the GOB has created the Grand Prix circuit. General
admission guests will watch the race from two main
grandstands, two temporary grandstands, and a desert standing
area. VIPs will observe from either the exclusive "VIP
Tower" or the invitation-only paddock area. The entire
facility is surrounded by fencing and the terrain, save a
small ridge behind the track, is flat and open. The GOB
improved and widened the road system leading to the track and
anticipates altering traffic flows to support increased
ingress before the races and egress afterwards.


4. (C) SECURITY COMMAND AND CONTROL. The MOI is the lead
agency for Grand Prix security. Using a British system to
designate echelons of command, the MOI Undersecretary is
designated the "Gold Commander," and overall in charge of the
security plan. Subordinate "Silver" and "Bronze" Commanders
have assigned disciplines of responsibility such as traffic
control, stationary and roving posts, quick response forces,
fire and medical services, public relations, and
communications. MOI is working closely with the Bahrain
National Security Agency (BNSA) to assess potential threats
as well as to utilize the BNSA's Explosive Ordnance Disposal
(EOD) and search team capabilities. There will be four
command centers. The MOI Operations Room at the MOI "Fort"
is the everyday dispatch and response center for all policing
and emergency communications. This is the Undersecretary's
primary watch center and it will always be manned. A second
Control Room will be manned at the circuit to coordinate all
on-scene security and communicate with higher headquarters.
MOI will also employ a vehicle-based Mobile Control room to
respond to any "hot spot" or remote crisis. Finally,
Bahrain's National Emergency Control Center (NECC) will be
stood-up and manned by a multi-agency team on 01 April. In
the event of a major crisis or emergency, the NECC supersedes
all other commands and becomes the primary incident command
center.


5. (C) PHASING-IN THE SECURITY. Commencing 01 March, the
MOI suspended all leave for its entire staff. Every
policeman and officer is expected to be involved in the Grand
Prix. Also, Bahrain Public Security (BPS),the combined
law-enforcement and security arm of the MOI, has temporarily
realigned from four shifts to three, thus increasing manpower
on duty at any given time. Through three "Phases," the BPS
is increasing its foot and vehicular patrols, uniformed and
plainclothes static posts, hotel presence, and staffing
around downtown, at the airport (doubling its staff),
causeway, and at the track itself. 200 policemen are
specially trained for VIP protection and will be fully
utilized. BNSA is already bolstering vehicle and personnel
searches at the airport and causeway. On 01 April, the day
before the event starts, all police will be in place. At the
track alone, 520 policemen will act as race Marshals. 200 of
these are actually shifted to the race coordinators' staff.
The other 320 will be nondescript as law enforcement officers
by wearing the race Marshal uniform. They will perform the
standard Marshal duties while also observing the crowd and
reporting any anomalies or problems to the command center.
Of course, BPS will also staff traditional police posts on
the F1 complex to address normal police issues like lost
items, fights, theft, etc. Every policeman at the track will
be issued a small "action card" that contains a decision
matrix and contact directives. In general, access to and
inside the complex is staffed by the MOI and BNSA. Outside
the track perimeter, the MOI and Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF,
the uniformed military service),will patrol. The Traffic
Directorate will very purposefully control vehicular traffic.
Unlike the U.S. or the UK, Bahrain is a country where the
police can simply close a major roadway or make it entirely
one-way. Traffic planners intend to do just this to
facilitate heavy flows into and out of the site. Also,
vehicles entering the area surrounding the F1 facility must
display special access passes that accompany seating tickets.
Traffic police will turn-back vehicles without the proper
credentials. All MOI assets will begin rehearsals and
"Immediate Action" training several days before the start.
Interestingly, responsibility for securing the VIP tower has
been assigned to the Royal Guards, the Royal Court's
bodyguard and security element. The MOI advisor advised that
thus far, communication among the usually disparate
Ministries and agencies has been excellent.


6. (C) CONTINGENCY. The Special Security Force Directorate
(SSFD, the MOI's anti-riot unit and tactical unit) is
pre-positioning several teams around the country and at the
venue. They will remain in a standby posture for the
duration of the event. MOI's "Flying Wing" will keep pilots
and 2 Bell 412 rescue/evacuation helicopters at the two
following sites: the MOI Fort and Sofra, a police camp about
10km from the F1 track. The Civil Defense and Fire Service
is on full standby around the country and will have a heavy
presence at the track as well. The Health Ministry has been
very supportive of MOI's contingency planning. The two major
trauma centers, Salmaniya and BDF Hospitals, are increasing
their staffs in the event of a major crisis. Further,
Salmaniya has constructed a BD 15,000 (USD $40,000) temporary
helicopter landing pad on its campus. The MOI has also
arranged for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) standby
response teams.


7. (C) STRATEGY AND PHILOSOPHY. MOI acknowledges that it
is not possible to completely eliminate all risk. The
Undersecretary and his senior advisors are attempting to
lower the percentages for any would-be attacker or disrupter.
As this is such an unprecedented, pivotal, and high-profile
national event, top leaders are demanding its success. In
MOI's view, the F1 circuit facility itself is one of the
least likely targets of a potential attacker. Any attack of
significance anywhere in Bahrain could immediately cancel the
Grand Prix. For this reason, MOI is compelled to address the
totality of threats and security around the country as they
relate to a major event. The world's eyes will be focused on
the security situation in Bahrain but, the MOI is sensitive
to not render the Grand Prix a "Police Event." They will
maintain a very high, overt police profile outside the
perimeter, while striving to remain discreet inside.
Security implementation has already begun with the initial
phase-in of additional police around town. As to not shock
the public, the police will gradually increase staffing
through three phases. The MOI has also met with the major
anti-government political societies and gained their
assurances to abstain from impeding the visitors or event
schedule. Further, commencing 26 March, MOI will begin a
major public advisory campaign to advise the nation about
changing traffic patterns, access requirements, and general
security measures. MOI considers their strengths to include
the facts that Bahrain is a small island with limited access
points, BNSA has generally good intelligence capabilities,
and all security forces are taking Grand Prix safety and
security efforts seriously.


8. (C) COMMENT: We were genuinely impressed with the depth
and breadth of MOI's preparations. The Ministry has been
working on their plan for months. Many of the senior
policy-makers at MOI are products of multiple ATA training
courses. Their thought processes (and RSO's level of access
to briefs like this) are direct benefits of ATA-sponsored
training in Bahrain. Post's three main concerns continue to
be the "Bahraini 3" Sunni extremists at large, security at
the causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, and other
general soft targets around Bahrain. Any attack would likely
cancel the event and jeopardize any future legitimacy for
Bahrain in the business, sporting, or tourism industries.
Though we currently know of no specific threat as of yet,
certainly Post is concerned that the high-profile nature of
the Grand Prix presents an attractive target for any
attention-seeking person or group. RSO will continue to work
closely with relevant GOB offices to track Grand Prix
specific threat information. The MOI directly requested of
RSO to be kept informed of any/all threat information about
which we learn. RSO and other Post Officers will ensure the
timely passage of threat info to MOI decision-makers. RSO
will make available an unclassified version of this report to
share with U.S. companies and concerned citizens. END
COMMENT.
FORD