France's Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin announced on Sunday that around 800 people with “no bona fides” had been excluded from the Paris Olympics due to safety concerns.
The list includes 15 countries considered the most serious threats to national security.
Darmanin told broadcaster LCI: “The French people should know that we are checking absolutely everyone approaching the Olympics. That's why we have volunteers, torchbearers and people who are welcoming us. ” he said.
“There are one million tests to be done and we have already carried out 180,000 tests. We have excluded 800 people, including 15 for 'Fiches S' (Most Serious Threat Document).”
“That means there are people who wanted to sign up to carry the torch or sign up to be Olympic volunteers, but clearly didn't have good intentions.”
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Darmanin specified that those excluded include “radical Islamists” and “radical ecologists who want to protest.”
According to the Interior Ministry, French security forces are testing up to 1 million people ahead of the Olympics, including athletes and people living near key infrastructure.
Ahead of the start of the Games on July 26, all 10,500 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes will be subject to background checks, as will 26,000 accredited journalists, coaches and medical staff.
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The Olympic Games will be held from July 26th to August 11th, and the Paralympic Games will be held from August 28th to September 8th.
France was placed on the highest alert for terrorist attacks in October after a suspected Islamist burst into a school in the country's north and stabbed a teacher to death.
The country has been a consistent target of Islamic extremists, particularly the Islamic State group, over the past decade, while Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is seen as exacerbating tensions in the country.
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