An unsealed police confidential file was said to disclose that Messi, the Argentinian football star, was presumably one of the chief persons targeted to receive multiple acts of terrorism threats during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The materials that Spanish newspaper Informacion.es has obtained show that during the tournament, bomb threats, stalking victims, and cyber abuse were directed at players, referees, and other staff members. As it, Messi and the whole Argentina team played significant roles in the police report. The threat to safety was handled by a cooperative security system led by the FBI and the International Police Cooperation (ICPC).
Plans to Bomb Lionel Messi During FIFA World Cup 2026
The report claims that one of the most surprising findings was the alleged terrorist plot that targeted Messi. In the document, a man was spotted stating that he would conduct a suicide bombing in the Atlanta Stadium. The alleged post made on X (formerly Twitter) said, “I’m going to walk into the Atlanta stadium and blow up Messi with four bombs strapped to my body”.
The threat, based on the report, was responded to in a serious manner by the police. A different incident involving a phone call to the Dallas airport was supposedly also investigated by them, the report said. It was stated that the caller told the authorities that he, along with two other people, was planning to go to the stadium carrying homemade bombs and an AR-15. The message claimed that not only the police were targets of this threat but also footballers, with Messi’s name being mentioned in the text.
Cristiano Ronaldo Also Threatened
Messi was, of course, a major highlight, but the police dossier also featured one of the famous football players, Cristiano Ronaldo. The report further said that a FIFA employee who had observed a strange man trying to get information about where Cristiano Ronaldo was staying contacted the police on June 14 to warn them. Incidents of a similar nature were recorded in other host cities including Toronto, Houston, and Miami.
Other than the two football stars, a French referee known as Francois Letexier, who is also well known by fans for his work on FIFA, apparently got over 6000 threatening texts on WhatsApp through the World Cup.