No attack during the Paris 2024 Games: the anti-terrorist prosecutor welcomes the “challenge met”

On franceinfo on Wednesday, anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen praised the “challenge met” by the French police and justice system with the absence of attacks during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPG) in Paris. “Ensuring security is a challenge that has been met thanks to a very heavy investment over several months,” noted the head of the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat).

“Five indictments”

He highlighted the “preparation” of several actors including his prosecutor’s office and the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI): “Thanks to this, there was no terrorist act committed on the territory during this period” of the 2024 Olympic Games. The magistrate recalled that there had been “three foiled attacks” during the period, “against bar-type establishments, around the Geooffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne”, “another group that had planned attacks against institutions and representatives of Israel in Paris” and finally “two people from Gironde who had planned to attack during the Olympic Games”.

“All those who planned these attacks were arrested, which led to five indictments,” including that of “a minor,” said Olivier Christen. All are now incarcerated, he said. In addition to the judicial response, the prosecutor also mentioned the administrative response: “936 home visits” in 2024, compared to “153 in 2023.” The “jihadist threat represents 80% of the procedures” initiated by the Pnat, he recalled, stressing that “in the first half of 2024, there were approximately three times more procedures” of this type than over the same period in 2023.

“‘Daesh’ has not disappeared”

According to him, this increase is explained by the “geopolitical context”, but also by “the reconfiguration, particularly in Afghanistan” of the Islamic State group. “‘Daesh’ has not disappeared, and is spreading propaganda that has an impact on the population”, and in particular on minors who are “very sensitive” to it. Like his predecessor Jean-François Ricard at the head of the Pnat, he insisted on the “very notable rejuvenation of people implicated in acts of terrorism”.

Among other threats, he noted that “Corsican terrorism had experienced a resurgence at the beginning of 2023, notably with a movement, the GCC (Ghjuventù Clandestina Corsa), which was able to be dismantled”. “This means that this resurgence has not happened again at the end of 2023 and in 2024”, Olivier Christen said happily.