© Stringer France / Reuters
Four people have been arrested in the Montpellier area of southern France, a teenage girl among them. The anti-terrorist squad seized explosives and materials on how to make a bomb.
Among the arrestees were a 22-year-old man and his 16-year-old girlfriend,
both of whom were previously known to the authorities for their links to radical Islamists.As the officers from the Anti-Terrorist Branch (SDAT) searched the man's house,
they found 70 grams of TATP explosives (the same kind used in the November 2015 Paris attacks), as well as an amateur bomb-making workshop and materials."The four suspects were arrested after they bought acetone," a police source told AFP. "It seems they intended to go through with it and to make several explosive devices."
The acetone would have been used to produce more TATP, a highly-volatile substance sometimes nicknamed 'Mother of Satan'.
"Bruno Le Roux, the minister of the interior, would like to congratulate the investigators of the Anti-Terrorist Branch (SDAT), who conducted an operation this morning that led to the arrest of 4 individuals, including three directly suspected of preparing violent action on our territory," his ministry said in a
statement.
"The minister hails the success of this operation that, according to preliminary evidence gathered, has helped to thwart an imminent planned attack on French soil. Bruno Le Roux wishes to pay a strong tribute to the action of the security forces, which, together with the magistrates, are fighting terrorism with an exemplary determination."
Three of the suspects are accused of preparing a suicide attack, while the 16-year-old girl was thought to be planning on making the journey to Syria.
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