Armed police officers are seen outside the stadium prior to the match between Israel and Paraguay in Paris. Getty Images
Armed police officers are seen outside the stadium prior to the match between Israel and Paraguay in Paris. Getty Images
Armed police officers are seen outside the stadium prior to the match between Israel and Paraguay in Paris. Getty Images
Armed police officers are seen outside the stadium prior to the match between Israel and Paraguay in Paris. Getty Images

France investigates death threats to Israeli Olympic athletes


Soraya Ebrahimi
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Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics

French police have launched an investigation after three Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympic Games received death threats, Paris's prosecutors office said on Sunday.

French anti-cybercrime officers are also investigating how athletes' personal data, including blood test results and login credentials, was released on social networks on Friday.

Israel's National Cyber Directorate said in a statement that, after an investigation, it had come to the conclusion that Iranian hackers were creating social media channels to publish personal information about members of the Israeli delegation and send them threatening messages.

On the same day, Israel's foreign minister warned his French counterpart of a potential Iranian-backed plot to target Israeli athletes and tourists during the Paris Olympic Games.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday: "Terrorist acts have no place in the principles of resistance groups; lies and deceit cannot switch the roles of the plaintiff and the accused."

Israeli athletes are being escorted to and from events by elite tactical units and given 24-hour protection, officials say. Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, is helping with security.

"Total support for the measures that are being taken by the French authorities," an Israeli diplomatic source said.

"This sends an important message to individuals and organisations attempting to threaten athletes."

Prosecutors said they were probing possible anti-Semitic hate crimes during an Israel-Paraguay football match on Saturday in Paris that featured chants and banners about the Gaza war.

The match at the Paris Saint Germain stadium saw fans "dressed in black, masked and carrying Palestinian flags unfurl a banner saying 'Genocide Olympics'" and one of them "made gestures of an anti-Semitic nature", a separate statement said.

The Paris Olympics organisers lodged a complaint with police, the prosecutors' statement added, confirming a story by the Parisien newspaper.

An AFP reporter at the stadium said about 50 so-called "ultra" fans in the crowd sang chants in French against Israel and about the Gaza war. The chants, in French, included "Israel Killer" and "Israel is killing Palestine's children".

The Israeli anthem was booed by part of the crowd. Some Israeli fans in the stadium chanted back "Free the hostages".

The fans could be charged with aggravated incitement to racial hatred, the statement said.

Paraguay beat Israel 4-2 in the match.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

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Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

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Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent

Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent

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Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:

Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4

Second leg:

Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm

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UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Updated: July 29, 2024, 4:45 AM