France: Over 290 held for terror links in last 9 months

By Fatma Esma Arslan

PARIS (AA) - French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced Saturday that France had apprehended 293 people suspected of having links to terrorist organizations since the beginning of the year .

Speaking during a national security conference, Cazeneuve said the state was doing its best to rid the country of terror threats. "But the terror threat remains," he said.

France has been under a state of emergency and high terror alert since a Daesh attack last November killed 130 people across Paris.

Earlier this week, seven people were arrested in connection with a car containing six gas cylinders found in Paris, near the Notre Dame cathedral, according to police.

"These three women aged 39, 23 and 19 had been radicalized, were fanatics and were in all likelihood preparing an imminent, violent act," Cazeneuve had said over the issue.

There have been several terrorist attacks in France over the past few months. Most recently, a truck attack in Nice in July killed 85 people, including 10 children, and wounded more than 100 others.