French police arrest 3 terror suspects

By Hajer M’tiri

PARIS (AA) - Three men were arrested by French counter-terrorism police on suspicion of plotting an attack, local media reported on Tuesday.

The arrests were made in the central city of Clermont-Ferrand, the Paris region and Marseille.

They “are part of a preliminary investigation started in January on suspicion of leaving for Syria or committing an act in France,” French broadcaster BFMTV reported, quoting sources close to the probe.

There was no immediate official comment on the arrests.

Three men and a teenage girl were arrested earlier this month in similar anti-terror raids near the southern city of Montpelier.

Last month, a man was shot and wounded near the Louvre Museum in Paris after allegedly trying to attack soldiers with a knife.

France has been on high alert in the wake of several terror attacks in recent years.