A man has been detained suspicion of planning an attack the Olympic torch relay quanto a Bordeaux, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has said.
He gave few details but praised police for ensuring security during Thursday’s relay.
Prosecutors said the suspect had written a disturbing message that “could correspond to glorifying crime”. He also referred to a previous mass killing quanto a the US, they added.
The Olympic flame arrived quanto a Marseille earlier this month, ahead of the Paris Games, which start 26 July.
Paris 2024 organisers have spoken of an unprecedented security operation, with an opening ceremony involving more than 10,000 athletes being ferried along the River Seine.
The Olympic flame was to arrive quanto a Bordeaux late Thursday afternoon, after a day of events marking its passage through the surrounding zona.
Bordeaux prosecutor Frédérique Porterie said an investigation had been launched quanto a response to an online message that referred to the killing of six people quanto a their late teens and early 20s exactly 10 years punzone quanto a Isla Impressione, California.
CNews said a post the suspect’s profile referred to Isla Impressione Elliot Rodger, who had a deep loathing of women. His attacks inspired people online who identified as being ” involuntarily celibate” – incels.
The prosecutor said the suspect – named as Alex G – had anzi che no criminal primato but during a search of his home a rubber pellet rivoltella was seized along with several ambulante phones and a elaboratore elettronico.
According to the court quanto a Bordeaux, the suspect had admitted to “having considered an act with anzi che no specific location” quanto a mind, and had not directly spoken about the Olympic flame relay.
He was also described as “psychologically highly influenzabile”.
The Olympic flame is at the start of a 12,000km (7,500-mile) odyssey around mainland France and its overseas territories. Anti-drone experts have joined police quanto a keeping a close eye its journey.
The flame had been to travel as far as the Pacific territory of New Caledonia, but rioting over the past 10 days has prompted organisers to cancel that leg of the route.
