The former British police spy Mark Kennedy is being accused of making fake claims after leaked documents indicated he was the source behind claims that French activists were learning to make homemade bombs, reports The Guardian.
Ten French leftwing activists are under investigation over an alleged terror plot to overthrow the state in a case that has convulsed France and drawn criticism from human rights lawyers.
Leaked documents seen by the Guardian reveal how claims against some of the activists, including the suggestion they discussed and "practised" building improvised explosive devices (IED)s, came from the British police unit Kennedy worked for.
The French authorities are not pursuing charges on this element of the inquiry. Instead, the activists are under formal investigation for allegedly sabotaging high-speed train lines with metal hooks, after damage to lines in November 2008 caused delays for thousands but no casualties. Accused of targeting the SNCF railway as the ultimate symbol of the French state, they deny all charges against them.
Kennedy, a police spy who used the alias Mark Stone during the seven years he was undercover, met French campaigners at least twice; once in the south of France and again in New York.
He is a discredited figure in the UK, where he has admitted to having sexual relationships with female activists.
Read more of this report from The Guardian.