UK police smuggle fake bomb into Olympic site

[January 09, 2012]  LONDON (AP) -- U.K. police managed to smuggle a fake bomb into Olympic Park in a security test, overshadowing a special Cabinet meeting Monday at the park that marked 200 days until the Summer Games begin.

U.K. police carrying out tests smuggled the device onto the main site. While the Olympic Delivery Authority declined to directly comment on the whether a fake bomb was involved, it said "testing is standard practice" in all major security operations.

"Such tests have a key role in developing our capability to ensure that London 2012 is safe and secure and that we are best prepared to detect potential threats before and during the Games," the statement said. "Members of the public with tickets should be reassured that such exercises are being staged to ensure their safety, our number one priority."

The terror threat is the biggest security worry for the London Olympics, which take place July 27 until Aug. 12. Security has been an intricate part of the games since an attack at the 1972 Olympics in Munich killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. London itself has not been immune from terror attacks -- four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters in 2005 when they targeted the city's transit network.

The terror concerns and more ticketing problems surfaced as Britain's Cabinet gathered at the Olympic Park to mark the "200 days to go" milestone.

"This is the perfect time for the Cabinet to come together and ensure we are doing absolutely everything we can to make the most of this unique opportunity to showcase all the great things the U.K. has to offer to the rest of the world," Prime Minister David Cameron said.

Olympic authorities, meanwhile, announced they had signed contracts specifying the post-Olympics use of six of eight of the permanent venues, including those used for swimming and handball as well as the ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower.

Meanwhile, organizers grappled with yet another ticketing problem: A limited ticket sale has been suspended indefinitely after computer problems kept causing trouble for buyers.

The tickets came from customers who decided to submit them for resale, but the online system did not work properly and sales remained suspended Monday, a spokeswoman for the organizing committee said.

The tickets are only being sold in Europe. Customers can still go to the site and get tickets for soccer and the Paralympics.

Organizers have struggled with ticket sales from the start. A complicated lottery system in which people blindly registered for tickets and handed over their credit card details before learning what tickets they were frustrated thousands who wished to see the spectacle.

Two-thirds of ticket seekers failed to obtain any in the first round of sales, with 22 million requests for 6.6 million available tickets.

Another round was blighted by computer problems and there is no indication when the resale efforts would be resumed.

[Associated Press; By DANICA KIRKA]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.