French police have foiled an attack targeting police and army personnel in the central city of Orléans, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Tuesday, reports FRANCE 24.
"A planned attack targeting representatives of state forces in the Orléans region was foiled last week by [French domestic intelligence agency] the DGSI," Cazeneuve said, adding that two men had been arrested on December 19th.
The two Frenchmen, aged 20 and 24, were being held for questioning, Cazeneuve said. Both were believed to have been in contact with another Frenchman, currently thought to be in Syria, who was suspected of organising the plot.
The 20-year-old was unknown to the police, while the 24-year-old was known to the police for committing acts of delinquency, Cazeneuve added.
Police sources in Paris told the AFP that the two detained men were French nationals, including one of Moroccan and one of Togolese origin.
Cazeneuve said 10 attacks had been prevented this year in France, which last month suffered its worst atrocity for decades when Islamist militants killed 130 people in a series of attacks in Paris.