Paris Olympics security plans were not stolen in reported computer theft, officials say

Former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva sounds the alarm on staff shortages and security concerns for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.

Paris City Hall said Wednesday that no policing plans for the upcoming Olympic Games were lost in the theft of computer gear reported by one of its employees.

A City Hall statement said: "Initial checks established that the worker didn't possess any information relating to the organization and deployment of law enforcement during the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

French broadcaster BFMTV first reported Tuesday evening that a computer and USB keys containing Olympic Games security plans for Paris City Hall were stolen aboard a train at the French capital's Gare du Nord station.

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BFM said one of the USB keys was encrypted and stored security plans relating to roads and traffic for the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Games.

French police patrol around the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, on Dec. 7, 2023. Paris City Hall officials said that no policing plans for the upcoming Olympic Games were lost in the theft of computer gear reported by one of its employees. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

In a city repeatedly hit by deadly extremist attacks, security is the biggest challenge for Paris Games organizers.

The Paris prosecutor's office on Wednesday described media coverage of the theft as "hasty." It said a City Hall engineer had lost a bag at Gare du Nord on Monday and reported that it contained a USB key used for work.

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"However, it is important to specify that this key only contained notes related to traffic in Paris during the