French authorities foiled 3 plots targeting the Paris Olympics, counterterrorism prosecutor says

Police are seen near the pitch during a men’s semifinal soccer match between Morocco and Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics in August 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France.
| Photo Credit: AP

French authorities foiled three plots to attack the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted the summer events, the national counterterrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday (September 11, 2024).

Olivier Christen said the plots included plans to attack “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris” during the July 26 to August 11 Olympic competition. The prosecutor told broadcaster France Info that “the Israeli team itself was not specifically targeted.” He did not give further details.

In all, five people, including a minor, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the three foiled plots against the Summer Games, which were held against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The suspects are facing various terrorism-related charges while they remain in pre-trial detention, the prosecutor said.

France was on its highest security alert in the months ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, which wrapped up last week. During preparations for the Games, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin repeatedly warned that security threats included those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.

In May, members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack Olympic soccer events that were held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne.

The planned attack was to target “bar-type establishments around the Geoffroy stadium,” the prosecutor said. The suspect is accused of planning “a violent action” on behalf of the Islamic State group’s jihadist ideology.

Jihadists threats dominated the foiled plots and 80% of legal proceedings against suspects include the extremist ideology that still influences France’s youth, the prosecutor said. The Islamic State group continues to “spread propaganda,” he added.

Preventive measures included increased house searches and house arrests before the start of the Olympics, the prosecutor said, adding that police and other security personnel conducted 936 house searches so far in 2024, compared to 153 last year.