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Aerial view of the Olympic Stadium and warm-up track in the London 2012 Olympic Park on April 16, in London, England. (Anthony Charlton/LOCOG/Getty Images)
Britain’s defense ministry is setting up surface-to-air missile sites on residential buildings during the summer Olympics, reports said on Sunday.
The move would defend against any airborne terrorist threats during the games, but the missiles would be fired only as a last resort, resident Brian Whelan, citing a leaflet distributed by the defense ministry, told the London Telegraph.
“They will literally be above my head as I go to sleep at night. This is meant to be reassuring but to be honest, if anything it has created a lot of anxiety for me,” he told the newspaper.
He added, “I don’t think anyone wants to live in a militarized apartment building. Obviously there are security issues around the Olympics but I think this is an absolute overreaction.”
Where he lives is “highly built-up,” he said. “I can’t imagine any situation that you could safely use a high velocity missile over Tower Hamlets,” the 28-year-old said.
The Guardian reported that the missiles have a range of around 3 miles and will be manned by 10 unarmed soldiers, who might be guarded by police.
“The location has been chosen as it is situated close to the Olympic Park and offers an excellent view of the surrounding area and the entire sky above the Olympic Park,” one of the leaflets obtained by the Guardian said.
