Police arrested two men in Paris on Sunday, April 6, for criminal conspiracy in relation with a terrorist undertaking and possession of explosives, said the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT).
The two men were placed in custody, and a third was charged for not reporting a terrorist crime and placed under legal supervision, prosecutors said. All are over 18, the prosecutor's office said without specifying their exact age or how advanced their potential plan was. The arrests were first reported by RTL and Le Parisien.
RTL reported that the main suspect, a 19-year-old living in northern France, had ties to the Islamic State jihadist group, although his lawyer refuted those claims. The radio station said that during a search of the main suspect's home, investigators allegedly found a homemade explosive vest.
Daily newspaper Le Parisien reported that the 19-year-old had written an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group and was planning to attack a public place.
His arrest led to the arrest of two of his associates. One of them, aged 21, is suspected of having provided him with a dummy weapon, which he later displayed on social media, according to press reports. "My client is not radicalized and does not ascribe to any jihadist ideology," his lawyer Réda Ghilaci told RTL.