The red carpet officially debuted in Hollywood on Wednesday, attended by this year’s host Conan O’Brien and numerous media representatives. However, this year’s film celebration is unfolding under a shadow of heightened preparedness. The reason for this is a warning from the FBI to California police forces regarding a potential retaliatory attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran, potentially targeting Southern California.
According to reports published by abc news, the FBI informed relevant agencies throughout California in recent days that Iran might attempt retribution for American military actions through the deployment of drones. Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office declined to directly comment on the accusations, but confirmed to the L.A. Times that the department is continuing to operate at “an elevated level of readiness and increased vigilance.”
During a press conference on Wednesday with the creative team for the 98th Academy Awards presentation, executive producer Raj Kapoor directly addressed questions about the safety of guests and the audience.
He expressed his full confidence in the team led by him: “I believe we have one of the best teams in the business in this series in every aspect, which includes our security team. So, of course, we follow what is happening in the world every year. We have support from the FBI and LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) and that is a close collaboration.” Kapoor continued to explain the importance of a safe atmosphere for all attendees: “This series has to run like a clock.
But we want everyone who comes to this series, who watches it, even the fans of the series standing outside the barricades, to feel safe, protected and welcome. Our job as a production team is to make sure that happens, and that really comes down to our very strong connection and the entire other support team that we have. It’s not something we take lightly and we take a great responsibility for it.”
Sources at the event for magazine “Varteys” noted that security presence was significantly increased, but measures were not ostentatious or overly obvious to the average observer.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declined further comment. Preparations continue as planned, with a tour of the red carpet scheduled for Thursday with talent representatives and studio representatives. The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in the Ovation Hollywood complex.
The ceremony will be broadcast in over 200 territories worldwide. Barbara Streisand will receive an honorary “Golden Palm” in Cannes. A UPSENED WRECKED CAR with which the brother of Darko Lazic was involved.
Topics: #abc #news
