(Paris) French authorities have foiled a plan to attack soccer matches at the upcoming Paris Olympics, the country’s interior minister said Friday. This is the first foiled plot targeting the Games, which begin in eight weeks.
Gérald Darmanin declared in a press release that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old Chechen on May 22, suspected of being at the origin of a planned attack in Saint-Étienne.
According to initial information, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, which will host several soccer matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack targeted spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to tackle the Olympic events “to die and become a martyr”, the press release also specifies.
The Paris Games will take place from July 26 to August 11. Soccer matches will take place across the country before the final at the Stade de France in Paris.
France is on 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 to soccer events, but said there are multiple potential threats, including those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists , far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other countries.
The organizing committee for the Paris Olympics declared itself informed of this 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 will continue to be fully mobilized,” he said in a statement.
The head coach of Canada’s women’s soccer team, Bev Priestman, expressed concerns about the situation.
“It’s worrying to hear,” Priestman said Friday at Stade Saputo, where the Canadians will face Mexico in a friendly match on Saturday. I guess we have to trust the process and the system put in place to protect all athletes. »
The representatives of the maple leaf, who won gold at the Tokyo games in 2021, will begin the preliminary round at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on July 25 before crossing swords with France on July 28 at the same place.
With The Canadian Press