Woman Attempted to Hide in Trunk to Sneak into Security Zone Ahead of Olympic Opening Detected [Paris Olympics]

Two Previous Rejections of Organizing Committee Participation Applications
Details Such as Occupation Not Disclosed

Ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, a Russian woman was caught by police while trying to enter the anti-terrorism zone in Paris, France, by hiding in the trunk of a vehicle.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 24th (local time), the daily newspaper Le Parisien reported that on the late afternoon of the 22nd, a car was stopped near the Alma Bridge, a counter-terrorism security zone. The driver was a French man in his 40s, and the passenger was a Russian woman. When the police opened the trunk to inspect the inside of the vehicle, they discovered another Russian woman hiding there. The three were immediately taken to the Domestic Security Directorate (DGSI) under the Ministry of the Interior.

Investigations revealed that the woman hiding in the trunk had twice requested participation approval from the Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee but was denied approval after security checks. Afterwards, she applied to the Ministry of the Interior for a QR code permit to access the anti-terrorism zone, which was also rejected. However, her occupation and other details have not been disclosed. The DGSI released the three individuals for the time being but plans to summon them again for further investigation.

French authorities conducted administrative checks on about one million people, including athletes, volunteers, private security personnel, and journalists, ahead of the Olympics. As a result, more than 4,300 individuals suspected of interference, subject to deportation, or considered potential terrorist threats were excluded from the event. Among them were Russian journalists; the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that five of its reporters were denied accreditation to cover the Paris Olympics. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov strongly criticized the decision, calling it "a direct violation of press freedom" and "unacceptable."

Meanwhile, on the 21st, French authorities also arrested a 40-year-old Russian man on charges of attempting to destabilize political order during the Olympic period.