French police have arrested a Russian man suspected of planning to destabilize the Olympics, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Wednesday, just days before the Games begin.
The 40-year-old man was detained on Tuesday after police raided his house at the request of the Interior Ministry, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The evidence found at his home raised "fears of his intention to organize events likely to cause destabilization during the Olympic Games," it said.
Relations between France and Russia have been deteriorating for months as President Emmanuel Macron is a prominent critic of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and a strong supporter of the Kyiv government.
French authorities have repeatedly flagged suspected Russian disinformation campaigns, while Russia has arrested a French researcher in the country on espionage charges.
The arrested man has been placed in pre-trial detention and could face up to 30 years in prison, the statement said.
Russia's embassy in Paris said it had not received official notification of the detention.
"We proactively asked them for clarification. We will seek a reaction," it said in a statement.
The Olympics kick off on Friday with a spectacular but logistically fraught opening ceremony along the River Seine.
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How does the arrest of a person plotting against a global event like the Olympics impact your view of international cooperation and security?
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How would you feel if an event you were looking forward to was threatened by someone's actions, and why is safety important in such events?
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What role should governments play in protecting international events like the Olympics from external threats?
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Is it fair to judge an entire country based on the actions of one individual, and why or why not?
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Should personal privacy be compromised in order to ensure security at major global events, and where should we draw the line?
