MONTPELLIER, France — Five Russians from Chechnya have been detained in southern France on suspicion of preparing an attack, local prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The five suspects were detained on Monday in the town of Beziers near the Mediterranean coast, around 70 kilometers (40 miles) 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.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
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-organized rally against Charlie Hebdo in Chechnya on Monday.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
