85,000 heavily-armed Brazilian soldiers and police descend on Rio

ARMY tanks patrol the streets, Copacabana Beach is littered with soldiers as a warship sits ominously off the coast. Brazil’s ever largest military presence has descended on Rio.

ARMY tanks patrol the streets, military trucks ferry thousands of heavily-armed soldiers along Copacabana Beach as a warship sits ominously off the coast.

Just 48-hours out from the Rio Olympic Games, the largest military presence in Brazil’s history has descended to protect more than a $3 billion worth of sporting talent, team officials and tourists.

In a defiant and clear message of intent by local authorities, 85,000 police and soldiers have been deployed to patrol the Games with the United States providing anti-terror intelligence.

Everywhere you turn there are armed military or police although the number appears to be short of the 100,000 the AOC were promised by Olympic organisers after Paralympian Liesl Tesch was held-up at gunpoint last June.

Rio’s citizens are seemingly comfortable with the military presence, with News Corp witnessing scores of machinegun holding soldiers walking the same patch of sand on Copacabana beach as local kids laughed and kicked soccer balls.

Superstar Usain Bolt has also embraced the increased level of security, arriving to and from training with a bank of soldiers shadowing his every step.

Soldiers patrol Rio’s airport.

The infiltration of camouflage has also landed at tourist hot spots, Christ the Redeemer sitting atop Corcovado mountain and Sugarloaf.

Brazilian Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes has declared that tourists wanting to visit two of Rio’s most iconic landmarks, would do so in the knowledge that they will be screened by handheld metal detectors.

A Brazilian soldier stands guard while Novak Djokovic trains.

Military Police General Commander Edison Duarte also announced more than 3,000 vehicles would be used for policing during the Games, as well as three blimps spread throughout the city that will transmit high resolution images in real time

“The two (tourist) points where we’ll deploy the armed forces are Corcovado and the Sugarloaf Mountain,” Moraes told reporters.

However, the minister said that the chances of any attack were “minimal.”

Brazilian police have also take over security screening outside Olympic venues after the private firm contracted to do the job failed to hire enough staff in time for the Games, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Justice.

Police officers from around the country will be stepping in to handle the screening, which includes operating X-ray machines and patting down visitors for weapons and other contraband.

A Brazilian soldier stands guard outside the Olympic Russian house.

Meanwhile, as authorities detected ISIS specifically recruiting Portuguese-fluent members, the United States has moved to work more closely with Brazil on anti-terror intelligence.

Brazil is relatively inexperienced with managing terror plots, and the series of recent world terror attacks has elevated concern about the nation’s preparedness.

The FBI was responsible for tipping Brazilian authorities off to the plot that saw 12 people arrested in July over a possible attack.

Meanwhile authorities have also been working closely with Brazilian police to train them on dealing with chemical and biological warfare attacks.

The US is helping Brazil prepare for both lone-wolf style attacks at places that have little security like clubs and restaurants and secure venues.