A Ukrainian security official has revealed that as many as 15 planned terror attacks planned by one individual before and during the Euro 2016 tournament in France have been thwarted recently, according to Sky News.
The competition kicks off on Friday night, with players and fans already making their way to their bases ahead of the 24-team competition.
Ukraine’s head of the State Security Services, Vasily Gritsak, has revealed that a Frenchman has been detained in the country after coming into contact with illegal armed groups. It’s reported that the man intended to target Muslim and Jewish places of worship, as well as railway stations, bridges and major buildings.
He was tailed by police from December, and arrested late last month on the country’s border with Poland carrying 125kg of TNT, machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenades, and other weapons.
Gritsak said: “The Frenchman spoke negatively about his government’s actions, mass immigration, the spread of Islam and globalisation, and also talked about plans to carry out several terrorist attacks.”
The revelation comes after the US State Department last week warned American citizens to avoid crowded places in France because of a high terrorist threat over the course of the tournament, and there have been a host of other warnings ahead of the tournament too.
Paris’ Stade de France was one site targeted during the November 13 terror attacks that left 130 people dead, and French special forces teams are being trained rigorously in the lead up to the tournament to ensure safety for all.
0
0
0
