MANAUS: Security staff from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are already Manaus planning the security operation ahead of the United States’ match there during the World Cup.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s team play Portugal in the recently-completed Arena da Amazonia on June 22 in the group stage of the finals. US sources have indicated that Vice-President Joe Biden will attend at least one of the team’s games against Portugal or Germany or Ghana.

Preliminary work by the FBI was confirmed by Colonel Dan Camara, Brazil’s Deputy Executive Secretary of Security for Major Events.

He told local media in the northern city: “Some officials responsible for security for the US delegation and others from the intelligence services and the FBI have come here. We’ve also had an exchange of information and opinions about our overall event planning.”

Manaus, in the north-west of the country, has closer ties in many ways with Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico to the north than with much of the rest of Brazil to the south.

He claimed that the preparatory work of the Regional Integrated Command and Control Centre had been approved by various visiting security delegations including those from England, Portugal and Italy.

Camara added: “The local CICC in each of the 12 host cities is linked directly to the national security coordination centre. This means everyone can access the information systems, the operation of various security forces and emergency response within teams.”

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