French authorities foiled three plots to attack the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted the summer events, the national counterterrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
The prosecutor, Olivier Christen, said the plots included plans to attack “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris” during the games.
Christen was quoted as having told broadcaster France Info that “the Israeli team itself was not specifically targeted.” He did not give further details.
In all, five people, including a minor, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the three foiled plots against the Summer Games. The suspects are facing various terrorism-related charges while they remain in pretrial detention, the prosecutor said.
A day before the start of the Games, the Israel National Cyber Directorate revealed that Iran was behind a campaign that attempted to scare members of the Israeli delegation to the Olympics.
As part of the campaign, a group of hackers opened pages on social media that published the personal information of the athletes and sent threatening messages.
Days later, French police launched an investigation into death threats received by three Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympic Games.
France was on its highest security alert in the months ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics. During preparations for the Games, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin repeatedly warned that security threats included those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.
In April, French anti-terrorism authorities arrested a 16-year-old youth who said on social media that he wanted to die “a martyr” at the Olympic Games.
In May, members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack Olympic soccer events that were held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne.
France has already been on high alert in the wake of terrorist attacks in recent years. The country was hit by a series of Islamist attacks, including the January 2015 attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris.
In November of that year, 130 people were killed in a series of jihadist attacks in Paris claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS).