French terror inquiry after Ukrainian-Russian man detonates explosive materials in hotel

French anti-terror prosecutors have launched an investigation after a Ukrainian-Russian man detonated explosive materials in a hotel room north of Paris.

A source at the French anti-terrorism prosecutors office (PNAT) said that on Monday night the 26-year-old man was given medical treatment by fire officers in a hotel in the Val-d’Oise, north of Paris, for “significant burns after an explosion”.

An initial search of his hotel room led to the discovery of “products and materials intended for the manufacture of explosive devices”, the source said. The man, of Ukrainian and Russian nationality, was still being questioned by police on Wednesday night.

The source confirmed that the PNAT, working with France’s domestic spy agency, had opened an investigation into the man, who was suspected of participating in a terrorist conspiracy and bomb plot.

It is not clear at this stage if the man is suspected of acting alone or in a group.

The suspected is reportedly from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, part of which has been occupied by pro-Russian and Russian forces since 2014.

Another source, who asked not to be named, told the AFP news agency that he appeared to have a “pro-Russian attitude” after fighting “for two years for the Russian army”.

The Ukrainian and Russian embassies in Paris did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, which is close to where the man was arrested, said operations had not been affected.

France is on maximum threat alert with less than two months to go until the start of the Paris Olympics. The Games will take place against a complex geopolitical backdrop with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and pose a major security challenge.

Last month French security services said they had foiled a planned attack on the Games with the arrest of an 18-year-old Chechen man allegedly preparing a suicide attack at Saint-Étienne’s football stadium.

At the end of May, before Monday’s arrest, the interior ministry said 50 attacks had been foiled by French intelligence services since 2017.

This week France is also hosting high-profile commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-day in Normandy.

US president Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine and other leaders are expected to attend the main event on Thursday.

The presence of so many foreign leaders in France was one reason why the case was immediately handed to the anti-terror prosecutors, a source said.

Paris has indicated that President Emmanuel Macron is also seeking to ramp up support for Ukraine, including military backing – moves that have angered Moscow.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report