A Russian man, Kirill Gryaznov, found himself under arrest in France on suspicion of plotting acts of “destabilisation” during the Paris Olympics, prosecutors have said.
The former Russian reality TV chef and suspected spy was picked up in France after he allegedly openly bragged about an alleged plot to cause mayhem at the Paris Olympics during a drunken rant, according to TMZ.
Local police nabbed 40-year-old Kirill Gryaznov from his apartment once he popped up on their radar, who reportedly had their eyes on him for months, according to French outlet Le Monde.
After his arrest, French police revealed they found “diplomatic material” linking him to Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), which is an heir to the KGB.
The alleged plot is not believed to have been for a terror attack.
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However, Kirill Gryaznov’s arrest came mere days before the games began, with the opening ceremony taking place in central Paris last Friday.
Gerald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said that “other Russian individuals” have also been arrested amid evidence of attempts to spread disinformation ahead of the Games.
“We think very strongly that he was going to organise operations of destabilisation, interference, spying,” Darmanin told BFM television. “He’s now in the justice system which will be able to confirm the suspicions of the police.”
Several European intelligence services have been on his radar ever since he was barred from boarding his flight from Istanbul, Turkey, back to Paris in May because he had too much to drink.
He was then forced to take another flight from Bulgaria, but only after he stopped in a restaurant and called his intelligence handlers in Moscow to boast that “the French are going to have an opening ceremony like no other,” just two months before the games in Paris were set to begin.
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Witnesses who came forward claimed Kirill Gryaznov had brandished his FSB identification during his booze-filled stop and even told people he had a special mission to disrupt the Olympic Games.
Alleged Russian Spy Kirill Gryaznov Facing 30 Years In Prison
Kirill Gryaznov, a Russian chef who has lived in France for 14 years, found himself arrested on suspicion of plotting with a foreign power to stage “large scale” acts of “destabilisation” during the Olympic Games in Paris.
Gryaznov was indicted on Tuesday and placed in pre-trial detention.
Gryaznov was charged with “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to incite hostilities in France.”
That crime is punishable by 30 years of imprisonment.
No further details have been given other than the fact that the investigation is being carried out by specialists.
