An officer in the Brazilian army's counterterrorism division says about 600 soldiers will be taking part in security operations during the upcoming Confederations Cup.
The G1 news website quoted Col. Richard Fernandez Nunes on Monday as saying an additional 250 specialists in identifying threats from chemical, biological and nuclear threats will be also conducting sweeps during the June 15-30 football tournament.
The six Brazilian cities hosting Confederations Cup matches will each be assigned a counterterrorism team. Brazil is also hosting next year's World Cup, and Nunes says all 12 of the tournament's host cities will have such teams.
Officials from world soccer's governing body, FIFA, have said security would be tightened up following last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon.
