Russian man arrested over plot to ‘destabilise’ Paris Olympics

Man indicted for sharing intelligence for ‘provoking hostilities in France’

Police in France arrested a 40-year-old Russian man on suspicion of plotting “large-scale” acts of “destabilisation” during the Paris Olympics Games, prosecutors said.

A man, who has not been named, was charged on Tuesday for sharing “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to provoking hostilities in France”.

He was arrested on Sunday by the officers of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) and remanded in custody, French daily Le Parisien reported, citing sources.

However, the planned sabotage was political and not a terror attack, the report said.

The Paris Olympic Games will open with a ceremony in central Paris on Friday. The police have deployed more than 30,000 officers at the stadium and streets of Paris and the number will be increased to 45,000 on important game days.

The authorities have conducted nearly one million background checks on people, including volunteers, workers, and others. Over 3,500 applications were rejected due to terror links and security threats.

Prosecutors said the man was being monitored by France’s intelligence services for several days before his apartment was raided at the request of the French Interior Ministry.

The agents found “elements that suggest that he was preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilise France during the Olympic Games”, sources told the newspaper.

(REUTERS)

The alleged plot could have had “serious” consequences as it was a “large-scale project”.

The man was indicted on Tuesday evening and planned under pre-trial detention.

Geopolitical turmoil in the world, including the invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli assault in Gaza, has raised concerns over attempts of foreign actors attempting to stoke divisions or carry out illegal acts.

In June, five dummy coffins draped in French flags and labelled “French soldiers in Ukraine” were left near the Eiffel Tower. Three people of Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and German nationalities were taken in custody and it was believed that Russia was behind the incident.

In May, an impression of hands with red colour was painted on the main Holocaust memorial in Paris.