France: French prosecutors have reported the arrest of a Russian man suspected of planning “destabilisation” activities during the Paris Olympics.
According to the local media, an inquiry was started into the potential disclosure of “intelligence to a foreign power to arouse hostilities in France” after a 40-year-old man was taken into custody.
It is unlikely that the claimed plot was intended to carry out a terror act. It occurs just a few days before the games begin, with Friday’s opening ceremony scheduled to take place in the heart of Paris.
The French interior ministry requested that the man’s Paris residence be searched, according to the prosecution. Agents had found evidence suggesting the individual was planning “pro-Russian operations” to destabilise France during the games, a source close to the inquiry said Le Parisien.
According to another source, the purported plot was a “large-scale project” with potentially “serious” repercussions. Further than mentioning that counter-espionage experts, not counterterrorism experts, are conducting the probe, no further information has been provided.
Tuesday night saw the man’s indictment and placement in pre-trial custody. According to reports, the crimes under investigation carry sentences of up to 30 years in jail.
Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister of France, announced this week that screenings of more than a million people had taken place before the games. These persons included volunteers, coaches, athletes, journalists, security personnel, and locals living close to the venues.
A series of events in recent months, particularly related to the crises in Gaza and Ukraine, have stoked suspicions that an outside party is trying to take advantage of and inflame divides within France.
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