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Ukraine arrests man plotting Euro 2016 terror attacks

Terrorism

Ukraine’s border guards on Monday arrested a Frenchman suspected of planning to carry out attacks in France during the Euro 2016 football championship.

Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, said the suspect’s intended targets included places of worship, buildings connected with the tournament and government offices.

The unnamed man was arrested with an arsenal of weapons and explosives, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 275 pounds of TNT, five Kalashnikov machine guns, 100 electric detonators and 20 balaclavas.

The SBU said the unnamed 25-year-old talked about plans to carry out several terrorist attacks.

“He intended to use weapons and ammunition to simultaneously blow up bridges and highway infrastructure across various regions of France,” the SBU said in a statement.

The agency’s chief, Vasily Gritsak told reporters: “The SBU was able to prevent a series of 15 acts of terror [planned] for the eve and during the Euro soccer championship.”

France seeks more information on attacks suspect held in Ukraine https://t.co/8oFKo1uloG

— euronews (@euronews) June 6, 2016

The SBU said the suspect spoke negatively about the actions of the French government, mass immigration, the spread of Islam and globalisation.

France is on high alert after militants killed one hundred and thirty people in a spate of shootings and suicide bombings in Paris last November.

_Euronews, Agencies _