Germany Tests World Cup Security

Just a few days ahead of the start of the Confederations Cup, Germany's interior ministry launched a test run of security arrangements for next year's World Cup soccer tournament. The National Information and Cooperation Center (NICC) draws on information provided by the country's various intelligence agencies on potential threats, whether from terrorist groups or hooligans. "We will be the point in Germany where all the information comes together," a source for the NICC said. During the World Cup, which begins June 9, 2006, the organization will expand to include officials from international bodies like Europol, the European Union's criminal intelligence agency, and Interpol, the global police organization. Throughout the tournament, which is expected to draw more than three million spectators, the NICC will produce twice-daily situation reports and distribute them to authorities throughout Germany, thereby filling a vital coordination function.