Paris -French security agents have arrested a suspected militant allegedly plotting to attack naval facilities in southern France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, said.
The local man had been under surveillance for a year for suspicion of radicalisation and support for militant Islamists, Cazeneuve said.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
The arrest was made on Oct. 29 by the French security agency DGSI.
The suspect, who had been in contact with a 21-year-old French jihadist believed to be in Syria, had discussed how to purchase a military rifle, and had received a package from China containing a military-style knife, which drew the attention of authorities.
According to security sources, the suspect planned to attack French Navy personnel.
In January, 20 people were killed in a spree by three avowed militants, including the massacre at the office of the magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Similarly, in August, passengers were wounded overpowering a would-be gunman whose weapon jammed as he tried to open fire on a Paris-bound express train in northern France. (dpa/NAN)