Russian Ex-Reality Star Arrested for Alleged Plot Against Paris 2024 Olympics

A Russian national in Paris has been arrested on suspicion of planning to disrupt the 2024 Olympics. The suspect, a former reality TV star, is allegedly linked to Russia's security service, FSB. He faces up to 30 years in prison amid heightened security due to global conflicts.

A Russian national residing in Paris for the last 14 years has been apprehended on suspicion of plotting to disrupt the Paris Olympics 2024, local media reported. The grand sporting event, featuring an opening ceremony with a boat parade on the Seine River, is set to commence on Friday.

The 40-year-old man, a former reality TV star trained at a Parisian culinary school, had boasted of disrupting the opening ceremony of the Olympics before his arrest on July 21, according to French newspaper Le Monde. The publication disclosed that he is an agent of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia's internal security and counter-intelligence service.

Le Monde, citing the Paris prosecutor's office, stated that the man was arrested at his Paris residence. Evidence indicating his involvement in the plot was found at his home, including a map of an elite Russian special forces unit operating under the FSB's command. Intelligence services reportedly intercepted a call two months prior in which the man told a Russian handler that "the French are going to have an opening ceremony like there has never been before."

On July 23, a judicial investigation was initiated for "intelligence with a foreign power with a view to provoking hostilities in France." The suspect was indicted and remanded in custody on the same day. If convicted, he could face a 30-year prison sentence, according to the prosecutor's office.

The Olympic Games are being held amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict, with elevated security measures. Approximately 30,000 police officers and gendarmes will be on the streets of Paris daily to thwart threats ranging from terrorist attacks to cybercrime, as the capital's police deploy all available resources, Le Monde reported.

(With inputs from agencies.)