South Africa police ready for any World Cup threat: Minister

South African police will ensure the safety of all foreign visitors and teams participating in the World Cup finals, deputy police minister Fikile Mbalula said on Wednesday.

Iraqi security forces arrested a Saudi al-Qaeda member who an official said on Monday was involved in a plot to attack the soccer showpiece June 11-July 11 tournament.

Mbalula would not say whether South African authorities had been aware of the threat but said police deal with such threats on a daily basis.

"We are ready for any eventuality," he told Talk Radio 702.

"We need cooperation from everybody to work with the law enforcement agencies. Police visibility will be of the highest order ... every player, everybody who'll be here will be protected."

Security and crime have been one of the biggest issues ahead of the World Cup because of South Africa's high rate of violent crimes -- it has 50 murders a day, almost the same rate as the United States with six times the population.

Crime is among the factors blamed for the lower-than-expected foreign bookings to attend the World Cup.