Euro 2016 attacks foiled

A Frenchman with an arsenal of weapons and a grudge against his government’s immigration policies was detained as he tried to leave Ukraine and launch an assault on the Euro 2016 football tournament, Ukrainian officials have said.

They described it as a thwarted plot for a “series of 15 terrorist attacks”.

The news came as France promised unprecedented security for the tournament’s crowds and stadiums, which include the French national stadium in Paris that was attacked by suicide bombers in November.

The tournament begins on Friday.

Ukrainian agents, who had been following the man since December, pounced after he bought five machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 125kg of TNT, 100 detonators and other arms.

Picture: AP. Agents detain the suspect at a border crossing.