The U.S. government has reportedly sent “1,000 spies” from America’s intelligence services to help Rio de Janeiro with security for the 2016 Summer Games.
NBC News reports that hundreds of intelligence analysts, field agents, security personnel, and other members of all 17 U.S. security agencies have been sent to Rio to keep their eye on the games in the hopes of heading off terrorist attacks and other unrest that has been threatened by a variety of sources.
NBC also noted that several branches of the military are represented in the force sent to Brazil for the games, including “more than a dozen highly trained Navy and Marine Corps commandos from the U.S. Special Operations Command.”
Along with the on-the-ground human operatives, the U.S. is also engaged in use of spy satellites, electronic eavesdropping, and surveillance of social media to try to head off any attacks.
It was also reported that for at least a year already the federal government has been assisting Brazilian officials do background checks on athletes and other foreign officials attending the games.
A spokesman for National Intelligence Director James Clapper told NBC, “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.”
America isn’t the only nation assisting Brazil with security measures. The U.S. intelligence operatives have joined the services from 51 other nations in helping keep the games safe.
It isn’t known if U.S. intelligence contributed to the spate of recent arrests made by Brazilian authorities, but just ahead of the opening of the games the South American country announced the arrests of several groups authorities said had ties to ISIS and other terror outfits.
Reports have been seen for well over a year that ISIS plans to launch “lone wolf” attacks on the games.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.