France rejects multiple Olympic accreditation requests over security fears
French security services rejected more than 4,000 applications for Paris 2024 Olympics accreditation, based on concerns about espionage and cyberattacks, according to the country's interior ministry.
On Sunday, Interior minister Gérald Darmanin said French authorities had checked close to 1 million accreditation requests for the Olympic Games, which begin on Friday. It has rejected 4,340 people, some of them over radical Islamist connections or suspicion of being foreign spies. Close to 100 were rejected over espionage fears or concerns that they were agents trying to get an accreditation using a different profession.
"They are probably not there to carry out attacks," Darmanin told the Journal du Dimanche. "But in addition to intelligence and traditional espionage, there is the possibility of accessing entry points into computer networks to carry out a cyberattack."
Paris will be deploying 45,000 security personnel to guarantee the safety of the Games and its ceremonies.
France's Interior minister Gerald Darmanin © PHOTO STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
Related news
