French authorities foil terror plot, arrest seven suspects

French authorities have arrested seven men and say they have foiled a terror plot which was ‘‘envisaged for some time.’‘

Bernard Cazeneuve, the country’s Interior Minister, did not reveal the site of the planned attack, but said: “An anti-terrorist operation led by the General Directorate for Internal Security (GDIS – intelligence services) under the authority of the judiciary took place overnight between Saturday and Sunday in Marseille and Strasbourg. It led to the arrest of seven people, aged between 29 and 37, of French, Moroccan and Afghan nationalities.”

Most of the arrested suspects are said to have come from Strasbourg, but the city and its famous Christmas market are not reported to have been the target of the planned attack.

France remains in a state of emergency, giving security forces extra powers, following last year’s Paris attacks which left 130 people dead.