A terrorism expert has called out for tighter security at major sporting or cultural events in Australia following the deadly attacks in Paris this weekend.

UFC 193 at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne’s first major sporting event ever since the Paris attacks occurred, has passed peacefully, but professor Jeffrey Lewis of RMIT University warned the Australian sports fans face the prospect of more strict security checks in the wake of this weekend’s tragedy in France.

“I know this has been discussed by extremist groups in Australia as a zenith of interest but whether they have the resources, organisation and capability to undertake an attack like this remains to be seen,” Lewis said, reports the Herald Sun. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently as these types of events are seen as soft targets.”

Lewis also believes the terrorists attack in Australia is a case of “when” and not “if” considering how lax bag checks are happening in the past sporting events. The report also noted that Victoria Police took a low-key approach at UFC 193 with several officers stationed at each gate, while other officers patrolled Etihad Stadium.

The tragedy in Paris happened on Friday night (Saturday AEDT), with a series of terrorist attacks taking place, which included explosions outside of Stade de France during a France-Germany friendly match. The unfortunate event led to serious precautionary measures in major events around the globe, including NFL games in the United States.

According to CBS Sports, NFL issued a statement about security ahead of the league’s Week 10 games, stating that the safety of fans, stadium personnel, and teams at all games is their top priority.

“Following the events in Paris on Friday, we are closely monitoring events and have been in communication with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, which have informed us that there are no known threats against NFL stadiums,” the statement said. “The NFL and team security departments work closely with stadium operation personnel and federal, state, and local law enforcement to provide a safe experience for the more than 17 million fans who annually attend NFL games.”

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