Security Stepped Up In Shanghai After Death Threat Made To Roger Federer

That is the shocking title of an article just published in The Times (sorry no link as it's PPV... but well worth it)

A pensive looking Roger Federer was ushered into the back seat of a waiting car at Pu Dong airport in Shanghai today as officials in China attempted to find the culprit of a bizarre threat made against the life of the world’s most famous tennis player.

Federer was on his way from Dubai to participate in the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the year when a message was posted on the website baidu.com saying: “On October 6, I plan to assassinate Roger Federer for the purpose of tennis extermination”, and was signed, ‘Blue Cat Polytheistic Religion Founder 07’. A gruesome image of someone with an axe standing over Federer accompanied the words.

As the Chinese authorities attempted to keep news of the threat under wraps – insisting that local journalists should not write anything about it - it was clear that extra security was on parade awaiting the arrival of the Wimbledon champion and current world No 1 who only confirmed three days ago that he was playing in the Shanghai Rolex Masters, having missed last year’s tournament.

The Federer cavalcade then swept – as much as traffic can sweep in the teeming city – to the hotel where there are certain to be some very nervous people as the next couple of days pass. There are few more popular international athletes in China than Federer who won two of his six Masters Cup titles when the final event of the ATP Tour season was staged in Shanghai and there is always a large group of fans camped on the steps of the hotel all day and most of the night. However, one does not dismiss warnings like this lightly.

After what happened to Monaca Seles reading stuff likes this turns my stomach...

I'm pretty sure it turns the stomach of all right-thinking human beings, regardless of who the threat happens to be directed at. I first saw the report in an article linked by IMBL in another recent thread (from tennis.com IIRC)

There is of course a history of similar threats being made, either publically or surreptitiously, against various high profile sports personalities. Most notably, Tiger Woods - a good friend of Federer by all accounts - was considered to be under threat at one stage and his security was stepped up significantly (it was actually before the days of his much-publicised infidelities, so totally unconnected to those 'issues').

Our world will, sadly, always contain a selection of individuals whose moral compass is so horribly skewed and bankrupt that it's virtually impossible to work out what leads them to develop such depraved thoughts, let alone act upon them.

As Peter Kay would kind of say in the Tetley adverts "Its not the guys posting threats online you want to worry about, its the ones who dont".

Seriously I dont think most would-be assassins of prominent figures post their threats publicly then seek to enact them.
Nonetheless, very unnerving if the reports have got to Federer himself. What a bizarre world we live in.

Now we know where Wise_Analyst is....

Seriously, I'm surprised there isn't more of this. It's easy to do and gets attention.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/security-increased-shanghai-federer-death-threat-133823364--ten.html

It was posted here to on Yahoo eurosport

Quite appalling

Horrific stuff. Must be scary for him and his family.

"Offensive Tool with Low Self Esteem Posts Rubbish On Internet".

Slow news day much?

Surely the threat should come on a day when he is known to be playing tennis, if he thought this credible, he could guard against it more easily than when in a stadium surrounded by 10,000 people.

And if they really are taking it seriously where is the info about how they are tracing him?

bogbrush wrote:Now we know where Wise_Analyst is....

Seriously, I'm surprised there isn't more of this. It's easy to do and gets attention.

Precisely!

Human nature will probably mean this turns out to be fantastic publicity for Shanghai.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/10/09/roger-federer-death-threat-apology/1622159/

bogbrush wrote:Now we know where Wise_Analyst is....

Seriously, I'm surprised there isn't more of this. It's easy to do and gets attention.

Actually, thinking about now it's very possible Analyst is from China, he certainly didn't write like English was his first language. Don't think Federer will be phased really, it's not the first hate message he's come across. Wise Analyst really did come across as someone who would threaten this type of behaviour, he was very unstable. Such a sad kid.

Phew! Glad it turned out to be a bit much about nothing...

The trouble with reports like this is that there are enough publicity-seeking kooks about for one of them maybe to get an idea.

Best move along methinks.

That's why there needs to be some form of sanction for even writing such stuff.