The Kremlin’s spokesman on Friday said Moscow had not been informed of the arrest in France of a Russian man over a suspected “destabilization” plot targeting the Paris Olympics.
The man was detained Tuesday in Paris but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that France had not informed Russian officials.
“We have no information. We saw media reports… Our embassy in Paris should have been informed of the detention. We hope the information will be provided to them,” he added.
Peskov described media reports about the case as “quite curious.”
French prosecutors said the man, born in 1984, was suspected of “passing intelligence to a foreign power in order to arouse hostilities in France.”
Le Monde newspaper said police had found documents “of diplomatic interest” at his apartment and he was suspected of working for the Russian FSB intelligence service after appearances in reality TV shows and a stint as a chef in a French ski resort.
“We think very strongly that he was going to organize operations of destabilization, interference, spying,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told BFM television on Wednesday.
“He’s now in the justice system which will be able to confirm the suspicions of the police.”
Almost all of Moscow’s athletes have been excluded from the Paris Olympics over the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine, with only 15 set to compete as neutrals.
Paris prosecutors Friday opened a probe into a suspected bid to undermine “fundamental national interests” after rail sabotage paralyzed France’s high-speed train network hours ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.
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