Russian arrested over alleged plot to 'destabilise' Paris Olympics

A Russian man has been arrested in France on suspicion of plotting acts of "destabilisation" during the Paris Olympics, prosecutors have said.

Local media reports that a 40-year-old man was arrested on Sunday and an investigation opened into the possible passing of "intelligence to a foreign power in order to arouse hostilities in France".

The alleged plot is not believed to have been for a terror attack.

It comes just days before the games get under way, with the opening ceremony set to take place in central Paris on Friday.

Prosecutors said a search had been carried out at the man's Paris apartment at the request of the French interior ministry.

A source close to the investigation told Le Parisien agents had discovered evidence that suggested the man was preparing "pro-Russian operations" to destabilise France during the games.

Another source said the alleged plot was a "large-scale project" that could have had "serious" consequences.

No further details have been given other than that the investigation is being carried out by specialists in counter-espionage, not counter-terrorism.

The man was indicted on Tuesday evening and placed in pre-trial detention.

The crimes being investigated are reportedly punishable by a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said this week that authorities had screened over one million people - including athletes, coaches, journalists, volunteers, security guards, and local residents near event locations - ahead of the games.

Of the 4,360 people denied access, 880 were barred over suspicions of foreign interference, the AFP news agency reports, citing sources close to Mr Darmanin.

"We are here to ensure that sport is not used for espionage, cyberattacks or to criticise and sometimes even lie about France and the French," Mr Darmanin said.

Recent months have seen a number of incidents that have raised suspicion of an outside attempt to exploit and stoke divisions within France, particularly over the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

In June, five coffins draped in a French flag and bearing the inscription “French soldiers of Ukraine” were left near the Eiffel Tower.

Three men - a Bulgarian, a Ukrainian, and a German - were later apprehended and told police they had been paid to deposit the coffins.

French intelligence officials said they believed Russia was behind the incident.

The month before, red hands were painted on the main Holocaust memorial in Paris. Police said the perpetrators were believed to have fled abroad.

And in the weeks after the 7 October Hamas attack and the beginnings of Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza, around 250 graffiti stencils of the Stars of David - the main symbol depicted on the Israeli flag - appeared on several walls around Paris.

A Moldovan couple were later arrested, and French officials said the pair were thought to have been paid by Russian intelligence.