French Police Foil Alleged Olympics Terrorism Plot

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Facts

  • French authorities have announced that a plot targeting spectators and police forces at the upcoming Paris Olympics was foiled with the arrest of an 18-year-old man of Chechen origin on May 22.1
  • According to the anti-terror prosecutor's office, the suspect was charged with terrorist conspiracy and is currently in pre-trial detention for allegedly planning an 'Islamist-inspired' attack in Saint-Ettiene.2
  • The evidence reportedly includes the exchange of encrypted messages as well as photos and videos of the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on his digital devices.3
  • Saint-Ettiene is among six cities other than Paris that will host the men's and women's Olympic soccer tournaments at the Summer Games, which will kick off in late July.4
  • France has been on its highest security alert since the Islamic State group carried out a terror attack in Moscow in March, particularly as global tensions mount ahead of the 2024 Olympics.5
  • Pres. Emmanuel Macron said in April that the July 26 opening ceremony planned on the Seine River could be moved to a stadium if the security threats were considered too high.6

Sources: 1FOX News, 2Le Monde.fr, 3BBC News, 4Paris, 5Forbes and 6France 24.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by POLITICO. As anticipated, preparations for the Paris Olympics have exhausted French officials involved in securing the event months before its beginning. Despite France long being marred by terrorism incidents, the national government neglected warnings that could have boosted security ahead of the Games.
  • Narrative B, as provided by UnHerd. That the Paris Games would increase the threat of terror strikes in France was quite obvious — particularly as the war in Gaza boosted what is known as 'atmospheric jihadism.' Yet, that doesn't mean that the Olympics are doomed, as intelligence services have successfully dealt with jihadists over the past decade.
  • Nerd narrative, as provided by metaculus.com. There's a 28% chance that a terrorist act will occur in metropolitan France during the 2024 Summer Olympics, according to the Metaculus prediction community.