How Paris 2024 narrowly escaped a far-right Olympics attack

The Paris 2024 Olympics went off without a hitch, but in the lead up, there had been speculation the Games were going to be the target of terrorist activity, with French police arresting one suspect who had reportedly been planning an attack.

The suspect was reportedly an 18-year-old and was arrested on suspicions “he was preparing attacks,” per France 24.

The teenager was arrested in the Bas-Rhin region, near the city of Strasbourg, and was questioned by anti-terror police.

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Reports suggested the suspect was a member of a Neo-Nazi Telegram group named “French Aryan division”.

France 24 reported it was on the Telegram group that the arrested suspect made the threats, with the exact details of the plot as yet unknown.

Le Parisien newspaper, who first reported the arrest, claimed the target may have been a drag queen who took part in the Olympic torch rally.

French police were aggressive in cracking down on anyone who could have posed a possible threat to the games, with a Chechen teenager arrested in May on suspicion of planning an “Islamist-inspired” attack on the games, per France 24.

Paris saw an influx of police and security guards as organisers took every precaution to ensure the Games went ahead without any danger to athletes or fans.

France 24 also reported up to 45,000 police officers, bolstered by military personnel and private security forces, were in the French capital to help with the Olympics’ opening ceremony which took place along the River Seine and saw an estimated 500,000 spectators in attendance.

Given the proactivity of security forces and the large police presence, the Games were void of any serious incident and became a celebration of sporting feats and athleticism.

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