French police detain five Chechens suspected of plotting attack
French police have detained five Chechens in southern France on suspicion of preparing an attack on French soil, police and prosecutors said Tuesday.
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Police said four of the suspects had been detained in the city of Montpellier on Monday, while the fifth had been arrested in the nearby town of Beziers.
The prosecutor said certain "products" had been recovered during their searches, but declined to give further details. According to the regional Midi Libre newspaper, police had uncovered a cache of explosives.
France is on high alert following three days of attacks by jihadists earlier this month in Paris that left 17 dead.
Chechnya, a highly restive and predominantly Muslim region in Russia, has seen the largest demonstrations against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo last week.
Authorities said about one million people attended the state-organised rally against Charlie Hebdo in Chechnya on Monday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
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