Canadian women's soccer coach Bev Priestman says foiled plan to attack Olympic matches 'a concern'

Canadian women's national team coach Bev Priestman says news of a foiled plan to attack soccer matches at the Paris Olympics is "a concern."

French authorities on Friday handed preliminary terrorism charges to an 18-year-old accused of a plot targeting spectators attending soccer games at this summer's Olympics. The interior minister said it was the first such thwarted plot targeting the Games, which start in eight weeks as France is on its highest threat alert level.

"That's a concern to hear," Priestman said Friday at Saputo Stadium, where the Canadian women will play Mexico in a pre-Olympic friendly Saturday. "I guess we have to trust that the processes and systems that are in place are there to protect every athlete at the Games."

Canada, which won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, opens the tournament at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on July 25 before taking on host France at the same venue on July 28.

"That's a concern to hear, but I think a little bit like in Tokyo, the Olympic Committee, I would imagine that they're going to step in and I think our faith and trust will be in making it a secure and safe environment for our players," Priestman said.

The man is accused of planning a `'violent action" on behalf of the Islamic State group's jihadist ideology, the national counterterrorism prosecutor's office said in a statement Friday. The man, who was not identified, is behind held in custody pending further investigation.

The planned attack was to target spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events "to die and become a martyr," the statement also said.

In a statement, David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said that the COC maintains regular contact with Paris 2024's security team, the Canadian government, and international partners to ensure Team Canada's health and safety at the Games.

"We know the health and security of all participants and spectators is of utmost priority for Paris 2024 and the French Government and its agencies and appreciate their ongoing and extensive efforts," he said.

France is on its highest security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which are expected to draw millions of visitors, and run July 26 to Aug. 11. Soccer matches will take place in cities across France before the final in Paris' Stade de France.

Specific security threat not cited

Darmanin, the interior minister, did not cite a specific security threat against the soccer event, but has said there are multiple potential threats, including those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.

The Paris Olympics organizing committee said it was made aware of the arrest and praised intelligence and security services.

"Security is the highest priority of Paris 2024. We are working daily in close coordination with the Interior Ministry and all stakeholders — and will continue to be fully mobilized," it said in a statement.

Opening ceremony

Security concerns are notably high for the the exceptional opening ceremony, which brings more than 100 world leaders to the French capital. It involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine River on a 6-kilometre open-air parade and huge crowds watching from the embankments.

In April, French President Emmanuel Macron said the July 26 opening ceremony could be moved instead to the country's national stadium if the security threat is deemed too high.

Organizers had originally planned to host as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge from riverbanks. But security and logistical concerns have led the government to progressively scale back its ambitions. Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators was reduced to around 300,000.

The French government also decided that tourists won't be given free access to watch the opening ceremony because of security concerns. Free access will be invitation-only instead.

Extra security is also on hand for the Olympic torch relay, which passed on Friday through the monastery outcropping of Mont-Saint-Michel, which sees thousands of tourists daily.