Paris 2024: French Security Authorities Foil Plan to Attack Football Events During Paris Olympics

Paris: The French interior minister said on Friday that security authorities have foiled a plan to attack football events during the Paris Olympics. Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18 year-old man from Chechnya on 22nd May on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack football events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon.

According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in the city of Saint-Etienne that will host several matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack was to target spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events "to die and become a martyr," the statement also said.

The Paris Olympics will run from 26th July to 11th August. Football matches will take place in cities across France before the final at the Stade de France in Paris.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)