Oscars increase security over concerns of Iranian retaliation

According to Variety, there has been a massive uptick in security; however, the safety measures are not overtly visible. Oscars telecast producer Raj Kapoor told reporters that despite the alleged threats, the show must go on. The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department have also been closely monitoring the area, he said.

"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. 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," he added.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department also issued a statement, saying officers remain at an "elevated vigilance."

"In light of current global events, the Department remains at an elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance as we continue to protect our residents of Los Angeles County. We are working closely with our federal and local law enforcement partners to share intelligence and monitor the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and assess any potential impacts in our communities," the LASD said. "The safety of the public remains our highest priority. As part of our preparedness efforts, we remain attentive to all potential threats, including lone-actor attacks, sleeper cells, and advanced technological or cyber-related threats."

The enhanced security measures follow an ABC News report warning about retaliation from Iran. The network cited an FBI alert distributed to its Joint Terrorism Task Force partners in California, warning about "unverified information" that Iran allegedly "conspired to conduct a surprise attack using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event the US conducted strikes against Iran."

"We have no additional information on the timing, method, targets, or perpetrators of this alleged attack," the alert said. The ABC News piece went viral.

Ben Williamson, FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs, slammed ABC News on Thursday for omitting the key word "unverified" in its report, appearing to intentionally misquote the FBI alert to cause panic. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also called out the network and requested a retraction.

https://twitter.com/_WilliamsonBen/status/2032112311972814881?s=20

https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2032118372901527884?s=20

Hollywood A-listers expected to attend this year's Oscars ceremony include Timothee Chalamet, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, and Rose Byrne. The event will be hosted by Conan O'Brien.