Nearly 50 individuals have been arrested in France for attempting to disrupt the Olympic Games, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, as reported by DPA. Darmanin stated on France 2 television that the security services detained these people who aimed to conduct “acts of sabotage or radical protests” during the early competitions of the Olympics. Their plans were thwarted by the authorities.
“Le Parisien” newspaper reported that 45 members of the radical environmental group “Extinction Rebellion” were among those arrested. They had planned to protest the social and environmental impacts of the Olympics.
Additionally, “Le Figaro” newspaper reported the arrest of a liberal activist in Oissel, a suburb of Rouen, located about 120 kilometers northwest of Paris. This individual was apprehended at a French national railways site, with “keys for access to technical premises of the railways,” “wire cutters and a set of universal keys,” and literature associated with the left found in his vehicle.
Paris prosecutors clarified that this arrest is not connected to the investigation into the arson attacks that disrupted train schedules hours before the Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. No arrests have been made in connection with those incidents, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Darmanin also mentioned on France 2 that his department now has a clearer understanding of potential suspects behind the attacks. “We have identified several profiles of people who may have carried out these very deliberate and highly targeted acts of sabotage,” he said.
