Chechen teenager arrested in France over Islamist-inspired

French interior minister says the 18-year-old hoped to ‘die as a martyr’ by attacking spectators

An 18-year-old was arrested earlier this month in Saint-Étienne on suspicion of planning an attack at the city’s football stadium to coincide with the 2024 Olympics, the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has said.

“The first elements show he was actively planning an attack against the Geoffroy Guichard stadium [in Saint-Étienne] during the soccer matches that will take place there during the Olympic Games,” Darmanin said in a statement.