BICOM

The venue for Israel’s World Cup qualifier with Albania has been changed after intelligence agencies exposed a planned terrorist attack at the game.

According to Haaretz, local media reports in Albania say that several individuals affiliated to ISIS were arrested by security forces. YNet says that four individuals were apprehended following a tip off to Albanian authorities from Israel’s Mossad agency.

As a result, Saturday evening’s match has been moved from the provincial town of Shkodra to the more secure venue of Elbasan. The security team protecting the Israel team has been significantly strengthened and Israel’s players have been informed that there will no free time outside of secure areas.

Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau released a statement saying: “In recent days, Balkan officials have arrested individuals affiliated with ISIS who have planned terror attacks against a range of targets in the Balkans, including the international soccer game between Albania and Israel.”

The statement also advised Israelis not to travel to the match, saying: “The assessment of the situation indicates a credible threat of attacks… and accordingly have issued a travel warning to Albania over the concrete threat level, and urge Israelis not to attend the game.”

Israel’s Ministry for Culture and Sport said: “The Minister [Miri Regev] is closely following the security arrangements and clarified that the safety of players and other members of the delegation is the primary consideration.” Regev wished the team great success in the match.

Israeli tourists and businesses operating abroad have often been a target for Islamist terror groups. In March, three Israelis were killed when an ISIS-affiliated bomber detonated a device in a popular shopping area in Istanbul. In 2012, Hezbollah carried out a bus bombing in the Bulgarian resort of Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists.