Ukraine stalls Euro terror plot

Kiev ( Ukraine), June 6: Ukraine’s security service said Monday it had arrested a Frenchman with a huge weapons arsenal who was allegedly planning terror attacks during the Euro 2016 football championship in France.

The announcement came just a day after French President Francois Hollande acknowledged there was a threat of an attack during the June 10- July 10 competition but promised to “do everything to ensure that the Euro 2016 is a success.”

Ukraine’s SBU security service chief Vasyl Grytsak said the unidentified Frenchman intended to blow up “a Muslim mosque, a Jewish synagogue, tax collection organisations, police patrol units and numerous other locations.”

He “planned to conduct 15 terrorist strikes,” Grytsak said. “He obtained 5 Kalashnikov rifles, more than 5,000 bullets, two anti- tank grenade launchers, 125 kilograms of TNT, 100 detonators, 20 balaclavas

The arrested Frenchman planned to conduct 15 terrorist strikes, and had obtained five Kalashnikov rifles, more than 5,000 bullets, two antitank grenade launchers, 125 kilograms of TNT, 100 detonators, 20 balaclavas among other things

and other things.”

Grytsak said the arrest was made on May 21 when the man was trying to cross into Poland near the Ukrainian frontier town of Yagodyn.

It was not immediately clear whether the Frenchman was associated with any particular terror cell or was operating on his own.

Grytsak said the suspect “expressed negative views about his government’s approach to the immigration of foreigners into France, the spread of Islam and globalisation.”