The Atlantis hotelÂ’s grand opening party is at the centre of a terrorism scare after British spies uncovered plans to target the lavish event in Dubai, to be attended by 2,000 VIPs. There are fears Al-Qaeda is planning to bomb the event on Nov. 20 because it is seen by Islamic extremists as a symbol of decadence in a Muslim country, according to the UK's Sky News television.
Business leaders, politicians, actors, musicians and members of the Dubai royal family have all been invited to the grand opening, which is estimated to be costing $28 million and will be headlined by pop princess Kylie Minogue.
British spies are reportedly monitoring talk of an attack in internet chatrooms and have a number of suspects who pose a credible threat under surveillance. Neither Atlantis or the British embassy in Dubai were immediately available for comment when contacted by Arabian Business.
The resort, located on the Palm Jumeirah, officially opened on Sept. 24, despite a recent fire on Sept. 2 that destroyed the hotel lobby roof and caused smoke damage to the outside of the main hotel building.
The launch of Atlantis has become one of the most talked about events on the Dubai calendar, with several global superstars linked with the grand opening, including Michael Jackson and Madonna. The 1,539-room resort encompasses a 46-hectare site with 17 hectares of water-themed amusement parks, an open air marine habitat, beaches, boutiques and restaurants.
The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in June raised its terrorism threat level in the UAE to "high", warning that terrorists could target places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers such as residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests. "We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE," the FCO said. "Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time," it said. The FCO said people should "maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places". |