France thwarts possible terror attack, arrests 2: Report
Paris, June 15 (IANS) French security forces foiled a possible terrorist attack after arresting two individuals suspected of plotting assaults, local media reported.
Aged 21 and 23, the two presumed terrorist suspects were detained last Saturday in Seine-Et-Marne, east of Paris.
They were spotted by police "after mentioning several times a project of attack in their exchanges", and one of them would have sought to obtain a weapon, the local broadcaster reported.
They were indicted, on Tuesday, for "criminal terrorist criminal conspiracy", it said.
Citing a source close to the investigation, it added the two friends, unknown for intelligence services, seemed "quite determined" to act, Xinhua reported.
"Their project remains unclear at this stage, but there are indications that they plan to target homosexuals," it said.
According to the report, police found a knife, firing device and propaganda of the Islamist State at their home.
A wave of attacks, claimed by the Islamic State, had broken several times the calm at home with the bloodiest in Paris where a series of explosives and shootings left 130 victims in November of 2015.
In October 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron signed anti-terrorism law which he said was necessary to muscle security at home to combat high terrorism menace.
The bill enshrines emergency security rules into ordinary law that allow police will have more power to search, arrest without judge approval and restrict people movements and gathering.
--IANS
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