A Russian man, arrested this week for allegedly plotting to “destabilize” the Paris Olympics, is reportedly an intelligence officer from Moscow who worked undercover as a chef in France for over a decade, according to Le Monde. The 40-year-old Russian national was taken into custody on Tuesday for “passing intelligence to a foreign power,” which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
French prosecutors stated on Wednesday that evidence discovered at his Paris residence suggested he might have been planning activities to disrupt the upcoming Olympic Games, starting this Friday. Le Monde, citing anonymous European security and intelligence sources, revealed that the police search of his home uncovered an identity card linked to an elite Russian special forces unit under the Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to the newspaper, the man, identified only by the initial “K,” previously worked in finance before relocating to France in 2010. He then enrolled in a Parisian culinary school and later worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps favored by the Russian elite.
The man also appeared on several Russian reality and cooking shows and produces cooking tutorials for social media, listing himself as a “private chef” on his CV. In 2012, he reportedly told his landlady he was returning to Moscow to work as an “official” in the “Russian government.” However, he subsequently participated in mandatory “civic training sessions” for foreigners seeking to settle in France long-term.
In May, Western intelligence services intercepted a call allegedly made by the man to his Russian handler before his flight from Turkey to France. Russia’s Embassy in Paris has not yet received official confirmation of his arrest and is seeking clarification from French authorities.
