PARIS — French authorities have filed preliminary terrorism charges against an 18-year-old man accused of a plot against spectators attending the Olympic soccer games.
The man is accused of planning a “violent action” in the name of the jihadist ideology of the Islamic State group, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday. The man, who was not identified, is being held in custody pending further investigation.
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French security authorities foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the upcoming Paris Olympics, the country’s interior minister said Friday. It was the first thwarted plot against the Games, which begin in eight weeks while France is at its highest threat alert level.
Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old Chechen man on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plot to attack soccer events to be held in the southern city of Saint-Germain. Étienne.
According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack against the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne, which will host several football matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack was aimed at spectators and police forces, according to the statement. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events “to die and become a martyr,” the statement added.
The Paris Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 26. 11. Football matches will take place in cities across France before the final at the Stade de France in Paris.
France is on its highest security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which are expected to attract millions of visitors.
Darmanin, the interior minister, did not cite a specific security threat against the football event, but has said there are multiple potential threats, including those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyber attacks. of Russia or other adversaries.
The Paris Olympics organizing committee said it was aware of the arrest and praised the intelligence and security services. “Security is the top priority of Paris 2024. We work daily in close coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and all stakeholders, and we will continue to be fully mobilized,” he said in a statement.
Security concerns are particularly high at the rare opening ceremony, which brings together more than 100 world leaders in the French capital. It involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine River in a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) open-air parade and large crowds watching from the embankments.
In April, French President Emmanuel Macron said the July 26 opening ceremony could be moved to the country’s national stadium if the security threat is deemed too high.
Organizers had originally planned to host up to 600,000 people, most of whom would watch for free from the river banks. But logistical and security concerns have led the government to progressively scale back its ambitions. At the beginning of this year, the total number of spectators dropped to around 300,000.
The French government also decided that tourists will not have free access to watch the opening ceremony for security reasons. Instead, free access will be by invitation only.
There is also additional security for the Olympic torch relay, which passed on Friday through the Mont-Saint-Michel monastery, where thousands of tourists pass daily.
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