A former Russian reality TV chef and suspected spy was nabbed in France after he reportedly bragged about an alleged plot to cause mayhem at the Paris Olympics during a drunken rant. Kirill Gryaznov, 40, was arrested at his flat in Paris Sunday after multiple European intelligence agencies had been monitoring his movements for months, according to the French newspaper Le Monde . Fench police said they found “diplomatic material” linking him to Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), upon searching the self-proclaimed private chef’s apartment at the French Interior Ministry’s request.
Agents found evidence of a “large-scale project” that suggested Gryaznov was “preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilize France” during the Olympics, according to French media. Gryaznov was charged with “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to incite hostilities in France” on Tuesday and is facing up to 30 years in prison, according to the outlet. Several European intelligence services had been hot on his trail since May and began monitoring his movements closely.
In May, the alleged spy was traveling from Istanbul, Turkey, back to Paris when he was barred from boarding his flight because he had too much to drink. He was then forced to take another flight from Bulgaria, but only after stopping in a restaurant from where he called his intelligence handlers in Moscow, according to the outlet. Gryaznov drunkenly boasted on the ph.