A French man arrested in Ukraine had been planning a series of gun and grenade attacks on the Euro 2016 football tournament.
The man was allowed to buy five machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons by the Ukrainian intelligence agency, the SBU, before he was stopped as he tried to cross the border into Poland.
The SBU said it had been following the man from December until his detention in late May, and that he had made contact with illegal armed groups in Ukraine with the aim of buying weapons and explosives.
Officials said they believed the unnamed suspect was planning 15 separate attacks on bridges, railways and other elements of Euro 2016 infrastructure, and that he was motivated by ultra-nationalist views.
SBU chief Vasily Gritsak told a briefing on Monday: “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 SBU was able to prevent a series of 15 acts of terror (planned) for the eve and during the Euro [football] championship,” he said.
Mr Gritsak said the SBU had sold deactivated weapons to the suspect after they found out that he was looking to purchase the arms.
The man remains in Ukrainian custody, pending a possible extradition request from Paris.
