Super Bowl 50 Terrorism Threat? F-16 Fighter Jets, FBI, K-9 Units, Helicopters Ready For Football Game

The FBI and local authorities have stepped up security surrounding Super Bowl 50, including F-16 fighter jets, helicopters and K-9 teams, CBS Local reported Wednesday. Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the Super Bowl is to be held, can hold up to 68,500 people, and the threat of terrorism has increased in the wake of a growing terror threat worldwide.

“In the event of an emergency during Super Bowl 50, there will be a significant impact on ground transportation,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Neil Penso, one of the pilots assigned to an air station in nearby San Francisco. Federal, state and local authorities have prepared for the need to use air travel in the event of an emergency and have begun training dogs with the K-9 unit to become familiar with the sound of the helicopter propellers and three types of military helicopters that could be used in the event of an emergency.

The threat of terrorism was raised throughout the world — in particular on "soft targets," or civilian areas — following a spate of attacks that occurred Nov. 13, 2015, in Paris. At least nine Muslim terrorists, all of them Belgian or French nationals, descended upon the city, slaughtering 130 people in restaurants, cafes, a concert hall and a stadium.

The attack on the Stade de France, a French sports arena, was foiled by security guards who did not allow the terrorists entry to the game, and security detail for the Super Bowl has been carefully monitoring the potential threat of a similar attack.

"Particularly with the rise in use by terrorist groups of the internet to inspire and recruit, we are concerned about the 'self-radicalized' actor(s) who could strike with little or no notice," the FBI said in a report released earlier this month.