France probing death threats against three Israeli Olympic athletes
Source tells AFP no link with Iran has been found and that the threats are unrelated to Israeli athletes’ personal information leaked on Friday
PARIS — France has opened an investigation into death threats against three Israeli athletes after threatening emails were sent to the Olympic delegation, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Sunday.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported the incident and his office said the investigation will be led by the national anti-online hate body.
According to a source close to the case, no link with Iran or another foreign country has yet been established.
There is also no link between this incident and the illegal leak of Israeli athletes’ private data on social media on Friday.
Israel on Thursday warned France of potential threats from Iran-backed groups against Israeli athletes and tourists during the Paris Games.
French police are giving Israeli athletes round-the-clock personal security within the Athletes’ Village and during travel to Olympic sites.
France has mounted a vast security operation for the Olympics that began on Friday and runs until August 11, with around 18,000 troops deployed in addition to regular police.
The Israeli athletes have also been provided with Shin Bet security as this is not the first time they have faced threats ahead of the first Olympic Games being held during Israeli wartime.
Last week, Hebrew media reported that many members of the Israeli delegation had received threatening emails and phone calls inviting them to their own funerals and telling them not to attend the Olympics because if they did, there would be another “Munich 1972.”
The threat refers to the Olympics in Munich in 1972 during which a cell of Black September terrorists broke into the Olympic village and took Israeli athletes hostage, eventually killing 11 and a German police officer.
Concerns for Israel’s team’s safety are especially high amid the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza, which broke out on October 7 with the terrorist group’s shock attack in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 251 were taken hostage.
