Britain’s Royal Air Force said Friday it was ready to use “lethal force” against aircraft which flout flying restrictions being put in place for the London Olympics. A series of airspace restrictions around London and the wider southeast England region will come into force from midnight (2301 GMT) Friday, designed to protect the capital during the Games which begin on July 27, the RAF said. Typhoon jets and Puma helicopters with snipers will be patrolling the restricted zone and intercepting any aircraft which should not be inside it. “As a last resort, we will have lethal force as an option,” said Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha, the Olympics air security commander, at a briefing at the RAF Northolt base in west London. He said such any decision would be made at “the highest level of government” and would be the “worst-case scenario”. The restricted area includes a small inner zone covering central London and the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, and a large zone covering part of southeast England.
