US sets up round the clock Olympic threat monitoring

By Pam Benson

The U.S. intelligence community has set up a 24/7 center to analyze threat information during the London Olympics, a senior American counterterrorism official said.

Matthew Olsen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday that the upcoming Olympics "present a potential target for terrorists and other disruptive groups."

In response, the counterterrorism center and its partners in the intelligence community set up the Threat Integration Center "to operate around the clock providing real-time situational awareness and threat analysis," Olsen said.

He said the United States is working closely with its British counterparts to collect, analyze and share potential threat information with the goal of making sure they can "respond quickly to prevent any possible plotting tied to the games."

The U.S. military has also provided what one military source told CNN's Barbara Starr was "classified" military assistance for the Olympics. The source would not elaborate on what that entailed.

The United States has offered "whatever assistance" the United Kingdom needs "in order to ensure that proper security is provided," said Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta last week.

The opening ceremonies for the Olympics are Friday with competition beginning Saturday and continuing until August 12. More than 500 American athletes will participate in the games.