A French citizen who spoke of “plans to carry out several terrorist attacks” is being detained in Ukraine.
The 25-year-old man, named as Gregoire Moutaux, was arrested last month on the Ukraine-Poland border and is being held by Ukraine’s State Security Service.
It’s believed that the man, whose identity has not yet been announced, had made contact with illegal armed groups in Ukraine with the intent of buying explosives and weapons. He was reportedly planning to carry out 15 attacks and “was driven by ultra-nationalist views”.
Vasily Gritsa, chief of Ukraine’s State Security Service, briefed the media on how plans were being laid to attack France during Euro 2016.
“The Frenchman spoke negatively about his government’s actions, mass immigration, the spread of Islam and globalisation, and also talked about plans to carry out several terrorist attacks,” the statement read.
Officers had been tracking the suspect since December and is said to have acquired the following:
- Five machine guns
- Two rocket propelled grenade launchers
- 5,000 rounds of ammunition
- 100 detonators
Dramatic footage of the arrest was also released:
https://twitter.com/OS1954/status/739763052598398976
