A RUSSIAN TV chef has been arrested in France in connection with a “large scale” plot to disrupt the Paris Olympics.
The spy, in his 40s, was nabbed after cops spent months watching him and eventually raided his flat in central Paris on Sunday.
They uncovered a document with information about a Russian special forces unit reporting to the FSB.
Several European intelligence agencies reportedly said authorities also found an ID card on his person which suggests he works for an FSB unit, Le Monde reports.
French intelligence also intercepted a phone call on May 8 between him and a Russian intelligence handler, the paper revealed.
During the conversation the suspect allegedly vowed “the French are going to have an opening ceremony like there has never been before”.
French cops confirmed they arrested a Russian man on suspicion of planning to destabilise the huge Games, which begin in just two days.
Authorities said several plots to disrupt the Olympics have been foiled ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.
The unnamed man faces allegations of “sharing intelligence with a foreign power with a view to provoking hostilities in France“.
This carries a potential prison term of up to 30 years.
A mammoth security operation has been launched in the French capital ahead of the Olympics this month.
Paris 2024 is in fact set to become the most guarded Games ever with over 60,000 cops and soldiers, drones, helicopters and AI surveillance after months of growing safety concerns.
Over 43 countries are involved in ensuring the Olympics are kept secure with French officials claiming the “unprecedented” operations are at least three times larger than at London 2012.
French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said over one million people have been screened ahead of the Olympics.
He said: “We are here to ensure that sport is not used for espionage, cyberattacks or to criticise and sometimes even lie about France and the French”.
French government officials ordered the search of the suspect’s flat on Sunday – on the right bank of the river Seine.
Agents in the home found evidence that suggests he was “preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilise France” during the Olympics, according to French media.
They also found information which suggests his “large-scale project” could have had “serious” consequences.
Le Monde revealed that the man was trained as a chef in Paris after moving there in 2010 and worked on cooking TV shows.
During his 14 years in France, he spent time working in a Michelin star ski resort restaurant before moving to Paris in 2012.
In 2012 he also allegedly told his landlady he’d be returning to Russia to work for the government via emails, seen by Le Monde.
The man was tracked for month by French officials who intercepted the suspicious phone call a few months ago, made from Bulgaria while he was travelling.
A “patchwork of steel” operation will see security spread across Paris rather than being in one centralised spot like London 2012 – a strategy that could prove to be a headache for authorities.
Organisers are preparing for all possibilities during the event with terrorist attacks and protests all looming over the Games.
It comes after Paris was rocked following the recent election chaos that saw tens of thousands of riot cops battling with opposing political supporters.
