France’s intel agency detains Ukrainian-Russian man suspected of planning violent act after he injured himself in explosion

France’s domestic intelligence agency has detained a 26-year-old Russian-Ukrainian man on suspicion of planning a violent act after he was injured in an explosion, prosecutors said Wednesday. The news arrived hours before world leaders gathered in the country to mark the 80th anniversary of Day D in Normandy.

The man was treated by firefighters on Monday night “when he suffered serious burns following an explosion”, reported the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, known as PNAT.

“Products and materials intended for the manufacture of explosive devices” were found in his hotel room, the PNAT said.

According to two sources close to the case, the man stayed at a hotel in the city of Roissy-en-France, where Charles de Gaulle airport is located in Paris.

“One of these devices exploded,” prosecutors said. The man suffered head injuries, according to one of the sources.

The man, who has Russian and Ukrainian passports, was detained on Monday night, a source said.

On Tuesday, the Public Ministry opened an investigation into suspected plans to commit a violent act.

A source, who asked not to be named, told AFP the man was from the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, part of which has been occupied by pro-Russian and Russian forces since 2014. He appeared to have a “pro-Russian attitude.” Russia”. after fighting “for two years for the Russian army”, the source added.

France remains on high alert

In an indication of the seriousness of the case, the man is being held by the General Directorate of Internal Security of the French internal intelligence agency, and not by regular police.

It is not clear at this stage whether the man is suspected of acting alone or in a group.

The case was also immediately placed in the hands of specialized counter-terrorism prosecutors rather than criminal prosecutors.

The PNAT opened an investigation into suspected involvement in a terrorist conspiracy, as well as possession of explosives and substances that can be used to manufacture explosives.

France has raised its security alert to the highest level in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, which runs from July 26th to August 11th.

This week, France hosts high-profile commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. President BidenFrench President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together in Normandy to mark the Western Allies’ most significant victory in the war.

Biden will be in France over the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit. The Secret Service was tracking the Russian-Ukrainian’s arrest, but the incident had no impact on the president’s movements, CBS News has learned.

The presence of so many foreign leaders in France was one of the reasons the case was handed over to anti-terrorism prosecutors, a source said.

Paris indicated that President Emmanuel Macron is also trying to increase support for Ukraine, including military support – measures that have angered Moscow.

French security services have arrested a Chechen teenager suspected of planning an “Islamic-inspired” attack on a football match during the Paris Olympic Games. Ministry of the Interior said last month.

At the end of May, before this arrest, the Ministry of the Interior stated that 50 attacks had been thwarted by French intelligence services since 2017.

Last month, the US State Department issued a worldwide caution security alert, warning of “the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” O threat warning was the result of intelligence citing ISIS threats against Pride events in parts of Europe, three sources told CBS News.