Euro 2016: 'Terror plot' foiled by Ukrainian authorities

Ukrainian authorities claim to have thwarted a series of terror attacks planned to coincide with the Euro 2016 football championships starting in France this week.

Vasyl Grytsak, the head of Ukraine's state security service (SBU), told state television that a French "ultra-nationalist" detained on the Ukrainian-Polish border late last month had been planning up to 15 attacks on targets including Jewish and Muslim places of worship, French government administration buildings, bridges, railways and other infrastructure.

Grytsak said the individual, identified as Gregoire Moutaux, had been under surveillance since December and was arrested as part of a sting operation trying to smuggle weapons including rocket propelled grenades, machine guns and explosives into the European Union.

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"[He] talked negatively about his government's actions, mass immigration, the spread of Islam and globalisation," said Grytsak.

Investigators also raided Moutaux's house near Nancy in Eastern France, where they found Neo-Nazi T-shirts as well as chemicals used to produce explosives and five balaclavas, says the Daily Mail.

It is understood that Ukraine's security forces had initially planned to keep the investigation a secret until after the tournament, "but decided to go public after reports in international media", says The Guardian.

Extremist attacks have become a "major concern" for French authorities as they prepare to host the month-long tournament, adds the newspaper.

Last week, the US State Department issued a travel warning to Americans planning to visit Europe, urging them to "exercise vigilance" and "avoid crowded places".

French special forces and emergency teams have carried out several practice runs for dealing with an attack during the tournament.

British police will also be stationed at Eurostar terminals and on some cross-channel trains "to prevent trouble and to stop known troublemakers from travelling to the tournament", reports Sky News.

Despite these precautions, British fans will face an "unprecedented security threat" when travelling to France, says the Mail. More than 500,000 are expected to make the trip.

French police have warned that England's opening match against Russia on Saturday in Marseille was "a particularly high risk" after a plot by Islamic State terrorists to target fans was discovered on the computer of one of the attackers responsible for November's Paris attack.

French authorities have extended the state of emergency introduced following last year's atrocities.