Police have warned hotels in London that they may be targeted by anti-globalisation groups during the G20 summit attended by global finance leaders next month.
Security for the event is being stepped up amid fears that violent protesters will find out where the leaders, made up of bank governors and finance ministers, are staying on April 2 and carry out “guerrilla-style raids”.
Police are now increasing the number of close protection officers that will be stationed at each location and all police leave has been cancelled in London for the first two days of next month, according to the Times.
Anarchist groups and environmental activists are planning a series of demonstrations, with one website urging demonstrators to “express their rage” promising “a day of f**king up the summit and other adventures”.
The security operation to protect politicians attending the event will be the largest seen in Britain since the G8 met at Gleneagles in July 2005.
The Times reports that although there is no intelligence pointing to a terrorist attack to coincide with G20, a detailed anti-terrorist contingency plan has been drawn up.
A senior source said: “We could never rule out the idea that the G8 event might have been the inspiration for the 7/7 terrorists. There’s no intelligence of an attack now but we would be foolish if we weren’t thinking along those lines – you cannot afford to discount any possibility.”
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By Gemma Sharkey
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