29 March 2016•Update: 30 March 2016
PARIS
French police have tightened security measures for the international friendly between France and Russia set for tonight at the Stade de France in Paris.
Laurent Simon from the French National Police's Security Directorate told reporters that 400 police officers will guard the stadium on Tuesday alongside snipers deployed around the venue.
The Stade de France was one of the targets of last November’s Paris attacks which killed 130 and injured 350.
One of the suicide bombers in those attacks tried to enter the stadium during a friendly between France and Germany, but ended up detonating it near the stadium after failing to get in.
Another of the suspected bombers, Salah Abdeslam – who was arrested in Brussels earlier this month – reportedly told police that he had planned to also attack the Stade de France but gave up at the last minute, reported French TV channel BFMTV.
France’s national stadium Stade de France, located in the northern commune of Saint-Denis, has the capacity for some 80,000 spectators.
Built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the stadium can host concerts and shows as well as football, rugby, and athletics competitions.
France’s National Football Team and the French Rugby Union Team play their home matches at the stadium.
This year's French League Cup and French Cup finals will be played at the stadium in late April and May.
In addition to the local finals, Europe's top-tier international football tournament, the UEFA Euro 2016, will be held in France this June and July.
