Russian arrested over plot to destabilise Olympics

Agents discovered ‘elements that suggest that he was preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilise France’

A Russian national has reportedly been charged in Paris for preparing “large-scale” acts of political destabilisation during the Olympic Games. 
The 40-year-old suspect was indicted on Tuesday for sharing “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to provoking hostilities in France”, according to local reports. 
Paris prosecutors have opened a sensitive judicial investigation, and the man, who has not been named, was placed in pre-trial detention on Tuesday night.
Officers from the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) arrested the suspect on Sunday and remanded him into custody, sources told the French daily Le Parisien. The paper reported that France’s intelligence services had been monitoring the Russian-born man for several days before raiding his Paris apartment ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.
The agents discovered “elements that suggest that he was preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilise France during the Olympic Games,” one source familiar with the matter said. 
Another source described the alleged plot as a “large-scale project” with potentially “serious” consequences. 
It is understood the planned sabotage was political and not terroristic in nature, resulting in counter-espionage as opposed to terrorism charges. 
France has deployed more than 30,000 police to guard the Olympic stadium and streets of Paris while the games are underway, with the figure rising to 45,000 on peak days.
French authorities have conducted nearly one million checks on volunteers, workers, and others involved in the games, leading to the rejection of over 3,500 applicants due to terror links and security threats.
Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, announced earlier this month that the government had conducted hundreds of thousands of investigations to screen applicants posing risks to the games and national security. “770,000 administrative investigations have been carried out to date, resulting in the exclusion of 3,570 people,” Mr Darmanin said.
“We can talk about espionage,” Mr Darmanin said on another occasion. “We are here to ensure that sport is not used for espionage, cyberattacks, or to criticize and sometimes lie about France and the French.”
The British government has lent a helping hand ahead of the games, sending RAF anti-drone technology and UK sniffer dogs selected by French authorities.
The unprecedented security operation, three times larger than the London 2012 policing presence, includes officers from 43 countries. British police constitute a significant portion of the 1,700 foreign officers assisting up to 45,000 French officers over the next fortnight.