The organizers of the Academy Awards say safety preparations are routine and robust after news of an FBI alert surfaced ahead of this year’s Oscars.
The Oscars rolled out the red carpet earlier on Wednesday in Hollywood, with host Conan O’Brien and media reporters on site for the annual celebration of movies. However, security is on heightened alert after the FBI warned California law enforcement about the possibility of a retaliatory drone attack by Iran targeting the West Coast.
According to an alert reported by ABC News, the FBI notified law enforcement across California in recent days that Iran could potentially retaliate for American military actions by launching drones toward the West Coast.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department officials would not comment on the memo, but in a statement to the L.A. Times said the department was continuing to operate at an “elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance.”
During a press conference earlier Wednesday with the 98th Oscars creative team, executive producer Raj Kapoor addressed a question about attendee and guest safety.
“I feel like on this show, we have one of the best teams in the business in all aspects, and that comes down to our security team,” Kapoor said. “So, of course, every year we monitor what’s going on in the world. We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and it’s a close collaboration.”
“This show has to run like clockwork,” he said. “But we want everybody who is coming to this show, who is witnessing the show, who is even a fan of the show, when they’re standing outside the barricades. We want everybody to feel safe, protected, and welcome. It’s our job as a producing team to make sure that that translates, and that really comes down to us with this very tight relationship, and we have a whole other team of support. It’s something that we don’t take lightly and we take a lot of responsibility for.”
According to Variety sources at the red carpet rollout, security has been increased but is not overtly visible.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had no comment.
A planned red-carpet walkthrough with talent publicists and studio representatives is scheduled for Thursday.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air in more than 200 territories worldwide.
The ceremony, hosted by O’Brien, will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official red-carpet show beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
English (US) ·