Ariana Grande. AP FILE PHOTO
Security preparations were heightened ahead of the Manila concert of American pop star Ariana Grande slated on Monday night.
“We deployed 160 personnel. Meron tayong SWAT team sa loob. Merong eye level cameras, yan ang ginagawa ngayon para may facial recognition sa lahat ng pumapasok,” National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Director Oscar Albayalde said in a press briefing.
(We have SWAT team inside. We have eye level cameras, that is what we’re doing to have facial recognition of all the people going inside [the concert venue])
Grande has been scheduled to hold her concert at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Last May 22, a suicide bomber blew himself up at Grande’s conert in Manchester, England killing 22 people, who were mostly concert goers.
READ: Ariana Grande cancels London concerts
Albayalde said there will be tight security check on the personnel belongings of the concert goers.
“Mahigpit ang seguridad na pinapatupad, mga backpack, mga bags or yung mga dumadaan sa X-ray. This afternon may nagka-conduct ng tunneling. Yung EOD K9 mag start yan around 6 to 7 p.m.,” he said.
(Security measures that are being implemented are tight, backpacks, bags and other things pass the X-ray machine. This afternoon our personnel are conducting tunneling—wherein people will pass through a narrow single-file lane. Our explosives and ordnance division K9 will start working around 6 to 7 p.m.) JPV