Chechen teenager planned to attack soccer events during Paris Olympics, officials say

PARIS — France's interior minister said Friday that security authorities had foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the Paris Olympics.

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 against football events which will take place in the city of Saint Petersburg. Etienne, southwest of Lyon.

According to initial investigations, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in the town of Saint-Etienne which will host several football 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 Olympic Games will take place 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.

Darmanin, the interior minister, did not cite a specific security threat to the soccer event, but said there are multiple potential threats, including those from Islamic extremist groups, environmental activists violent attacks, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.

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.

Security concerns are particularly high during the exceptional opening ceremony, which brings more than 100 world leaders to the French capital. It involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine in a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) open-air parade and huge crowds watching from the docks.

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 was deemed too high.

Organizers had initially planned to welcome up to 600,000 people, most watching for free from the river banks. But security and logistics problems have led the government to gradually lower its ambitions. Earlier this year, total attendance was reduced to around 300,000.

The French government also decided that tourists would not have free access to the opening ceremony for security reasons. Free access will be by invitation only.

Reinforced security is also provided for the Olympic torch relay, which crossed the promontory of the Mont-Saint-Michel monastery on Friday, which welcomes thousands of tourists daily.