French security services have arrested an 18-year-old Chechen man suspected of plotting an Islamist-inspired attack during the Olympic Games. The domestic intelligence agency DGSI detained the teenager in Saint-Étienne, south-east France, on Friday, with the interior ministry calling it the first foiled attack against the Olympics.
The suspect is accused of actively preparing an assault on the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, which will host football matches during the Games. According to the ministry, he intended to attack spectators and security forces and die as a martyr. France remains on its highest alert level for attacks, with about ten million visitors and ten thousand athletes expected for the Paris Olympics.
Most security concerns have focused on the opening ceremony on 26 July, which will take place over a four-mile stretch of the River Seine. Policing such a vast area is a significant challenge: 45,000 officers will be on duty, and large parts of central Paris will be out of bounds except for ticket holders and residents. France has faced a series of Islamist attacks over the past decade, often by individuals inspired by al-Qaida or Islamic State.
In March, interior minister Gérald Darmanin told a French senate commission that the risk during the Olympics included lone attackers or groups paying criminals inside France to stage an attack. He noted that while groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State intend to attack the West, they currently lack the means. However, domestic intelligence chief Céline Berthon warned of a rising terrorism threat linked to external theatres, with terrorists likely to seize the opportunity of the Games.
The Olympic torch relay is already under way, protected by a security bubble of 100 officers including anti-drone specialists and anti-terror police. During the first three weeks of the 12,000-kilometre journey, 78 people were arrested for trying to disrupt the relay, and 30 suspect drones were intercepted, according to interior ministry figures.
