French police have foiled a jihadist attack on police and military personnel in the region of Orleans, according to the interior minister.
In the latest operation, two men aged 20 and 24 were detained on 19th of December and were being held for questioning. Both the suspects are believed to have been in contact with an Islamic State fighter, who is of French origin, currently thought to be in Syria.
One of the detainees confessed they had intended to attack police officers, army personnel and anyone associated with the French state particularly targeting the military barracks as well as police stations. The investigators think the suspects had been actively involved in raising funds for the plot and were searching for weapons.
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said about 10 attacks have been foiled in France so far this year. The latest alleged plot south-west of the French capital Paris is under investigation and the local authorities are looking into whether the French national living in war-torn Syria ordered the attack.
One of the men arrested is reported to be of Moroccan descent, while the other is said to be from Tog. One suspect was reportedly unknown to the French police while the other one was known due to his previous criminal record.
The European state saw its worst attacks in decades last month, with 130 killed in Paris. Since then, France has beefed up the security situation nationwide including deployment of 1,500 soldiers in the most populous city of the country and introduced much more strict border patrols.
Furthermore, France has denied entry to more than 3,000 people due to the threat they pose to the security and public order after a state of emergency was declared in the wake of the Paris attacks. IMAGE/skynews
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