Teenager arrested for terror plot at Paris Olympics

A teenager who wanted “to die and become a martyr” has been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack on this summer’s Olympic Games in France, officials said on Friday.

In what the French Government says is the first foiled terror plan against the Paris Olympics, the General Directorate of Internal Security have arrested an 18-year-old Chechen national.

The suspect was said to be targeting the Geffrey-Guichard stadium in St Etienne, which will hold football matches at the Olympics, and was arrested at his home and placed in pre-trial detention.

Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, said that he wanted to “congratulate the intelligence services which once again demonstrate their full mobilisation and their effectiveness in the fight against terrorism and the protection of our country”.

The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events “to die and become a martyr,” Darmanin’s statement added.

According to BFMTV, the man denied conducting any reconnaissance or planning an attack while in police custody. He simply acknowledged “exchanges” and “conversations” on encrypted messaging applications. During a search carried out by the police, investigators found a photo of Saint-Étienne stadium on a computer. According to police sources, videos of the stadium were also found in his phone.

According to BFMTV, the suspect was unknown to the police and judicial authorities prior to his arrest and had arrived in France with his parents in 2023.

The suspect was arrested at his home and had already been scouting locations, according to a source close to the investigation. France’s anti-terror prosecutor’s office, PNAT, said he was indicted on May 26 on charges of associating with a terrorist criminal group with a view to preparing crimes against a person. He was subsequently remanded in custody. Investigations are now continuing as part of a judicial inquiry.