2024-09-12 09:58:30
French authorities have thwarted three plots to attack the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted the summer sports events, National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor Olivier Christen announced today, quoted by the Associated Press, BTA reports.
The prosecutor said the plots included plans to attack “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris” during the Olympic competitions from July 26 to August 11.
Kristen told the France Enfo television channel that “the Israeli team itself was not specifically targeted” without giving further details.
A total of five people, including a minor, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the three foiled plots against the Summer Olympics, which took place against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The suspects have been charged with various terrorism-related charges while they remain in pre-trial detention, the prosecutor said.
In the foiled plots, jihadist threats predominate, and 80 percent of the trials against suspects involve the extremist ideology that still influences French youth, Christen said. Islamic State continues to “spread propaganda,” he added.
He said preventive measures included increased house searches and house arrests ahead of the Olympics, with police and other security officials carrying out 936 house searches so far in 2024, compared with 153 last year.
The French Air and Space Forces have flown more than 750 flight hours in 350 missions, resulting in the interception of 90 aircraft, the Ministry of the Armed Forces in Paris said in a statement today.
Most of the intercepted drones were civilian, according to the statement, adding that 85 drone operators were arrested. They were mostly tourists who were unaware of the regulations in place during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year.