So you thought that threatening protestors with rubber bullets was a bit extreme? Newbie Defence Secretary Philip 'Ammo' Hammond has just announced that the Olympic Games could be protected by missiles.
In a comment to the house of commons, the minister revealed that ground-to-air missiles could be deployed to protect the Olympics if deemed operationally necessary by the military. No further elaboration was made.
Earlier today, the US revealed that it will deploy a thousand of its own security agents at the 2012 Games (although we did turn down their earlier offer of a helpful aircraft carrier in the Thames). With the addition of a secret SAS base in the East End, and the mysterious disappearance of HMS Belfast, the Lea Valley could resemble a theatre of war come next summer. Good luck to whoever gets the task of firing the starting pistol.
Image by McTumshie in the Londonist Flickr pool.
