A Russian chef who has lived in France for 14 years has been arrested, suspected of involvement in a larger operation of foreign power during the OS in Paris.
The 40-year-old man was arrested during a raid in his apartment in central Paris over the weekend. A document with a connection to a Russian elite force that reports to the security service FSB was found in the apartment, reports The Guardian.
The man is suspected of having shared "intelligence with foreign power in order to provoke hostile actions in France". The crime, which can lead to 30 years in prison, is not suspected to be terror-related.
There is evidence that the planned spy operation was a "large-scale project" that could have had "serious" consequences during the three weeks of the OS, announces the prosecutor in Paris.
According to the newspaper Le Monde, security services intercepted a conversation two months ago between the suspected man and a link to the Russian security service. The suspect is then said to have said that "the French will get an opening ceremony like never before". No information is given about what the disruption operation would have entailed in detail.
The opening ceremony will take place on the Seine's shore on Friday evening. There has long been a concern that Russia may try to disrupt the event.
The Russian team is not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony, but Russian athletes who are not considered to support the war against Ukraine are allowed to compete in the OS.
The man came to France in 2010 and worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the ski resort Courchevel, popular among the Russian elite. He is also said to have participated in Russian reality TV shows and cooking programs on TV.
In 2012, the man moved to Paris. He then told his landlord that he intended to return to Moscow to work as a civil servant for the Russian government. In April 2013, he participated in a civic education course, mandatory for immigrants to France, according to documents.
