France removes 800 people from the Paris 2024 Olympics service force

The list includes 15 individuals considered to pose the most serious threats to national security.

Speaking on LCI television, Mr. Darmanin stated that the authorities are checking all those involved in organizing the Olympics - including volunteers and torchbearers. Accordingly, 1 million people will need to be checked. So far, the authorities have checked 180,000 people and eliminated 800, including 15 people named in the 'Fiches S' (file of the most serious threats). Mr. Darmanin emphasized that "this means that there are people who want to register to carry the torch, to volunteer at the Olympics, clearly with no good intentions".

According to Minister Darmanin, among those eliminated are "radical Islamists" and "radical elements who want to protest".

Those being screened ahead of the Olympics include athletes and people living near key infrastructure for the event, the French Interior Ministry said.

Before the Paris 2024 Olympics open on July 26, all 10,500 Olympic athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes will undergo background checks. Coaches and medical staff of sports delegations, as well as 26,000 journalists with press credentials for the Paris 2024 Olympics, will also undergo this screening process.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.

France has been on its highest terror alert since October 2023, after a suspected Islamist stormed a school in the north of the country and stabbed a teacher to death.

France has been a frequent target of Islamist extremists over the past decade, particularly the self-proclaimed "Islamic State" (IS), while the current conflict in the Gaza Strip is also exacerbating domestic tensions.