Further fears have emerged for football fans planning to travel to the European Championships in France this summer. Ukrainian security forces claim that a man they arrested last month with a huge collection of guns, detonators and explosives was planning attacks on fans during the tournament.
The farmworker, a Mr Gregoire Moutaux, was shown on video being arrested by the Ukrainian forces. While some are still wary of the allegations that Moutaux planned to target supporters at the tournament-French officials claim that they have not been sent any details by Ukraine-this news will come as another nasty reminder to supporters of the risks they are taking by journeying to support their team.
Only recently Paris' Chief of Police was reported to be very worried about the existence of 'fan zones' in the city ahead of the tournament's commencement on June 10, calling for them to be closed. And with the city's police officers reportedly at breaking point already, this will not do anything to reassure fans that they will be safe this summer, despite Prime Minister Manuel Valls' assurances.
This follows French President Francois Hollande's acknowledgment that a "threat exists" and Europol director Rob Wainwright's worry that the championships present "an attractive target for terrorists". The UK government warned its citizens of a "heightened threat of terrorist attack" in France and the US State Department cautioned that the Euros would "represent potential targets for terrorists". On the website of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, citizens travelling to France are told to "be vigilant in public places and follow the advice of the local authorities", with a link to the French government's advice on what to do if a terrorist attack occurs.
With more information to come from the Ukrainian authorities, it is not yet clear whether the man arrested last month could have been part of a wider network of planned attacks.
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