During the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, French authorities successfully thwarted three plots to attack in Paris and other cities hosting the summer events, according to national counterterrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen on Wednesday.
Christen revealed that the plots included plans to target “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris” during the Olympic competition. In connection to the foiled plots, five individuals, including a minor, were arrested. They are facing terrorism-related charges and remain in pretrial detention.
France was on its highest security alert during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
In the months leading up to the Olympics and Paralympics, which concluded last week, France was on its highest security alert. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had repeatedly warned of potential threats from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right organizations, and possible cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.
In May, members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya, suspected of planning an attack on Olympic football events held in Saint-Etienne. The prosecutor stated that the intended target was “bar-type establishments around the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium” and accused the suspect of plotting “a violent action” aligned with the Islamic State group’s jihadi ideology.
House searches, arrests increased
Christen highlighted that jihadist threats were a major factor in the foiled plots, with 80% of legal proceedings against suspects involving extremist ideology, which continues to influence French youth. He added that IS still spreads propaganda.
To prevent attacks, authorities increased house searches and arrests before the start of the Games. In 2024, there were 936 house searches, compared to 153 the previous year, according to the prosecutor.
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Air defense bolstered
France also bolstered its airspace defenses during the summer Olympics and Paralympics, deploying warplanes, helicopters, surveillance aircraft, and drones to monitor the skies over Paris and Marseille, which hosted sailing and football events.
The French Air and Space Force completed over 750 flight hours in 350 missions, resulting in 90 interceptions. The Defense Ministry reported that most of these interceptions involved civilian drones, with 85 operators arrested, primarily tourists unaware of the regulations in effect during the Games.
Minor security incidents reported
There were minor incidents, including coordinated attacks on French railways before the opening ceremony and a pitch invader delaying the men’s 100m final. However, the Games largely proceeded as planned. Louis Bernard, founder of Crisotech, a crisis management consulting firm, noted that everything went smoothly, both in the stadiums with high security and on the streets. He mentioned that during the road cycling event, which drew 500,000 spectators in Paris, there was no violence, a contrast to what sometimes occurs during football matches.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin quickly praised the security efforts after months of concerns about whether France’s stretched resources could handle the event. He remarked that the Olympic Games brought great success, not just in medals but also for the Ministry of the Interior and the security forces. This sentiment was echoed by criminologist Alain Bauer, a critic of the open-air opening ceremony, who stated that French security services deserved recognition due to exceptional efforts and necessary changes, including reducing the size of the opening ceremony crowd under pressure from the interior ministry.
Various security concerns negotiated
There were also security concerns due to ongoing conflicts in Gaza, threats from the Islamic State, and France’s history of homegrown Islamist terror plots and far-right extremism. Analysts observed that Paris faced one of the most challenging geopolitical circumstances for hosting the Games. Additionally, France’s cyber-security agency was on alert for potential Russian attacks that could target the organizing committee or disrupt transport and ticketing systems. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from competing unless they participated as neutral athletes. French authorities were also on edge after the arrest of a suspected Russian secret service member just before the Games and uncovered two plots by Islamist militants earlier in 2024, including plans to attack the torch relay in Bordeaux and an Olympic football venue.
Games concluded peacefully
There were 45,000 police and gendarmes in the capital, along with 20,000 private security guards and a reserve of 10,000 soldiers stationed at a special military base in Bois de Vincennes, on the outskirts of Paris. This represented the peak of the security presence, but on any given day, 30,000 armed officers were patrolling the streets, controlling traffic, and managing road closures.
Given this security, it’s not surprising that organizers and politicians felt some relief as the Games concluded peacefully. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo remarked that their vision had faced opposition and ridicule, but she was pleased to see the city as they had planned it and to hear people’s gratitude. She expressed frustration toward those who opposed their efforts, including reactionaries and the extreme right.
An arson attack, later attributed to the extreme left, disrupted France’s high-speed railway network just before the opening ceremony, forcing Keir Starmer to travel to Paris by plane instead of Eurostar. However, the wider impact on the Games was minimal.
There were “Free Palestine” banners at Israel’s opening football match against Mali at the Stade de France, and Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan declined to shake hands with his Israeli opponent, Tohar Butbul, after their judo match.
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