Ukraine expects arrival of French experts participating in probing case of plotting terrorist attacks in France during Euro 2016

Ukraine expects arriv French experts expected to join the investigation into the case of the French national detained on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in France are about to arrive in Ukraine, Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) chief Vasyl Hrytsak has said.

"As for the arrival of French experts [...]. They will come to Ukraine within a few days [...]. I hope that in the near future, our group will be joined by French experts," he said at a briefing conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Back on June 6, Hrytsak said that the SBU conducted an operation in May, resulting in the preventing of a series of terrorist attacks planned to be carried out in France during the 2016 European football championship (Euro 2016). In particular, the Ukrainian security service detained a French citizen looking for a place where he could buy arms and explosives, when suspected that he was making preparations for terror attacks.

A mosque, a synagogue, as well as some government and administrative buildings could have become targets of the plotted terror attacks, Hrytsak said.

Figaro newspaper reported on the same day that French authorities opened an inquiry against the French citizen detained on suspicion of making preparations for terrorist attacks during Euro 2016. France's agency to tackle organized crime, OCLCO (l'Office Central de Lutte contre la Crime Organisé), and regional criminal investigation service in Nancy were appointed to investigate the case.

Extracts from some conversations between the aforementioned detainee (dubbed as "Moutaux") and a Ukrainian citizen, who discussed, in particular, a preparation of a "certain operation" and a handover of explosives, was published by the SBU through YouTube on June 8.

Hrytsak announced earlier the upcoming visit to Ukraine by experts from France's Prosecutor General's Office in order to take part in the procedural and investigative activities to be pursued as part of this probe.