French Foreign Ministry: About 1,000 people suspected of espionage barred from Olympics
About 1,000 people suspected of interfering in the interests of foreign countries were barred from the Olympic Games in Paris, announced the Minister of the Interior of France, Gérald Darmanin, The Associated Press reports.
About 1 million people were checked, including Olympic volunteers, workers and other people involved in the Olympics, as well as those who applied for passes to enter the most controlled security zone in Paris – along the banks of the Seine – the day before opening ceremony on Friday, July 26.
Darmanin said that in total, about 5,000 people were refused access to the Olympics.
"Out of them, there are 1,000 people whom we suspect of foreign interference — we can say spying," the minister said.
The AP report says Darmanin has repeatedly raised suspicions of Russian interference.
"We’re here to make sure ... that sport isn’t used for spying, for cyberattacks or to criticize and sometimes even lie about France and the French," said the French official.
He added that "interfering and manipulating information" comes not only from Russia, but also from some other countries, which he did not name.
According to him, other persons who were not allowed to the Olympics after checks are suspected of Islamic radicalism, left or right political extremism, criminal past, etc.
"We didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be stadium stewards, volunteers or that they accompany (sports) teams. Out of 1 million people, 5,000 is not a lot, and it shows the deep work of the Interior Ministry," the minister concluded.
On April 4, Emmanuel Macron said he had "no doubt" that Russia would "target" the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024, without specifying what he meant.
On May 31, French police officers detained an 18-year-old native of Chechnya, who was allegedly planning to carry out a terrorist attack during a football tournament as part of the Olympics.
On July 21, Darmanin said that France denied some Russian journalists coverage of the Olympic Games "out of caution."