Five Russians arrested in France on suspicion of planning terror attack
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 20 January, 2015, 10:15pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 20 January, 2015, 10:55pm
Agence France-Presse in Montpellier and Haskovo, Bulgaria
The five suspects were detained on Monday in the town of Beziers near the Mediterranean coast, around 70 kilometres from Montpellier.
The prosecutor said certain “products” had been recovered during their searches, without giving further details.
One of those arrested lived in Beziers, and another “probably” in Montpellier, the prosecutor added. The addresses of the other three were still being sought.
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.
Fritz-Joly Joachin arrives in court in the town of Haskovo, south eastern Bulgaria. Photo: AFP
This comes after a Bulgarian court ruled on Tuesday that a Frenchman who admitted knowing the Charlie Hebdo attackers, but denied being an extremist, should be extradited to France following an arrest warrant issued by Paris.
Muslim convert Fritz-Joly Joachin, 29, arrested on January 1 as he tried to cross from Bulgaria into Turkey, told the court in Haskovo in southern Bulgaria: “I am innocent. I want to return to France.”
