LONDON – A teenager on Friday unsuccessfully tried to grab the Olympic torch from a runner taking the flame from the town of Maidstone to Redhill, near London. Local police say a 17-year-old launched himself at the flame as it passed through the English riverside town of Gravesend and has since been arrested. The runner swerved aside and the relay wasn't disrupted. This year's torch relay has not been hit by the human rights protests that bedeviled the Beijing Olympic relay in 2008. But police are still ready to ward off attention-seekers who might try to attack the flame on its 8,000 mile (12,800 kilometer) journey. Preparations for the Games have been dogged by concerns over security after a firm supplying private guards for venues said it could not supply all of the 10,000 it had promised. But London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe insisted security would not be compromised, as the government had drafted in 3,500 extra troops to cover the shortfall by security giant G4S, with another 2,000 on standby. “This is not an issue that has remotely compromised security. This was actually about the supply and the mix, it's never been about the numbers," Coe said. — Agencies
