The venue for a Fifa World Cup qualifying match in Albania has been changed amid concerns over a possible terrorist attack.
The game against Israel, which scheduled for this Saturday, had been due to take place at the Loro Boriçi Stadium in the northern city of Shkoder, but will now be held at Elbasan Arena near the capital, Tirana.
It follows the arrests of four individuals, believed to be linked to so-called Islamic State, who were planning on carrying out an attack during the game in Shkoder.
A statement issued by Israel’s counter-terrorism bureau and reported by the Reuters news agency said the individuals were arrested “in the Balkans”.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the suspects’ plan “was not to hit the Israeli players or members of their support staff directly, but cause mayhem in the stands.”
Israeli fans have been advised not to travel to the match, which kicks off at 7.45pm local time.
Albania and Israel both have six points after three games of the qualifying campaign, and sit in third and fourth place in Group G respectively. The group also contains Spain, Italy, Macedonia and Liechtenstein.
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