France arrests Russian-Ukrainian dual national with fake passports following explosion

AN INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN launched in France after a Ukrainian-born Russian national reportedly detonated explosives in a hotel room near Paris, suffering severe burns in the process. Sources from France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said the incident occurred on Monday in a hotel in Roissy-en-France, a small bedroom community located 15 miles northeast of downtown Paris.

At the scene of the explosion police found a severely burned man, who was later identified as a 26-year-old from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Most of the Donbas region has been under Russian military occupation since 2014. The man is reportedly a Russian speaker and holds both Ukrainian and Russian nationalities. He is currently in hospital receiving treatment for severe burns, and is formally under arrest.

The PNAT and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France’s counterterrorism and counterespionage agency, are investigating the suspect’s background and activities. According to media reports, the suspect’s hotel room contained “substances and materials intended for the manufacture of explosive devices”. A number of guns and forged passports were also found in the room.

As intelNews reported earlier this week, French police arrested a Bulgarian, a Ukrainian and a German national, who deposited five coffins, draped in French flags, at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The flags reportedly bore the inscription “Dead French Soldiers of Ukraine”. While the investigation is ongoing, French authorities are said to have classified the incident as a Russian psychological operation aimed at affecting French public opinion. It is not known whether the two cases are in any way connected.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 06 June 2024 | Permalink