French police arrest Russian man on accusations of planning to 'destabilize' Olympics

French authorities have foiled several plots to disrupt the 2024 Olympics, including arresting a Russian man in one of them, officials said Wednesday, just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Paris.

France has been on high alert over the past few weeks as preparations to host the Olympics hit the final stretch. The Games officially begin Friday with a lavish and high-security opening ceremony on the Seine.

Paris prosecutors said Wednesday they had arrested a 40-year-old Russian man Tuesday at his Paris apartment on suspicion of planning to "destabilize the Olympic Games."

He was charged with "conducting intelligence work on behest of a foreign power" with an aim to "provoke hostilities in France," crimes punishable with 30-year sentence in France, the statement said.

During an official search of the suspect's home in Paris, police agents found items that "raised fears of his intention to organize events likely to lead to destabilization of the Olympic Games," prosecutors said.

The Russian Embassy in Paris said it had not received any notification from French authorities about the arrest and has asked French officials for an explanation after seeing reports about it. It did not comment further.

The Games' organizers are facing major security challenges, including cyberattack concerns, amid high international tensions because of the Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

There are also elaborate disinformation campaigns orchestrated out of Russia, targeting the Olympics and France's recent elections, according to French officials and cybersecurity experts in Europe and the United States.

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