Europe

Ukraine arrests French man for plotting attacks on Euro 2016

Associated Press
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In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, The Stade de France Stadium is pictured in Saint Denis, north of Paris. The stadium is a venue for the Euro 2016 soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, a view of the renovated Velodrome stadium, in Marseille, southern France. Marseille is one of the 10 playing venues of the Euro 2016 in France. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) (The Associated Press)

In this image, provided by the Ukrainian Intelligence Agency SBU on Monday, June 6, 2016, SBU agents detain a suspect at the Yahodyn border crossing on the Ukrainian-Polish border, Ukraine. Ukraine's intelligence agency SBU said on Monday it has thwarted a plot to attack soccer's European Championships in France by arresting a Frenchman who wanted to cross from Ukraine into the European Union armed to the teeth. (Ukraine's Intelligence Agency SBU Press Service photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

Ukraine's intelligence agency SBU says it has thwarted a plot to attack soccer's European Championships in France.

The SBU said in a statement on Monday that it had followed a French man since December and allowed him to purchase five machine guns, two rocket propelled grenades and other weapons before he was arrested on the Ukrainian-Polish border last month.

The SBU didn't identify the man but said he was driven by ultra-nationalist views and planned 15 attacks on bridges, railways and other pieces of infrastructure for Euro 2016 that will be held in France.