Three men arrested in Paris 'were preparing terror attacks'

Three men arrested in connection with a suspected
bomb factory near Paris were preparing terror
attacks, police believe.
The trio were detained after ingredients for an
explosive often used by Islamic State were
discovered at an unoccupied apartment in the suburb
of Villejuif.
Gas canisters and electrical wiring were also
discovered during the raid.
France's interior minister, Gerard Collomb, has said
the suspects had made calls to Syria and were
"involved in terrorism".
The men have denied they were preparing terror
attacks - and instead claim they were actually
preparing to rob banks by blowing up cash machines.
The raid uncovered ingredients for TATP, gas
canisters and electrical wiring
According to Le Parisien, police were tipped off by a
plumber who was at the apartment to fix a leak.
The unnamed man noticed chemicals on a balcony of
the flat as well as a soldering iron and hot plate
through the window.
It is reported two of the suspects are French
nationals of North African origin who were not
previously known to police.
Questions have been raised over whether they were
linked to the jihadist cell responsible for the terror
attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 15
people.
According to Mr Collomb, some of the men
suspected of the Spanish atrocities had visited Spain
a week before their deadly rampage - purchasing a
camera and "spending a long time in front of the
Eiffel Tower".
France has suffered more than other European
countries from Islamic extremist attacks in the last
two years.
In November 2015, 130 people were killed by IS
gunmen in simultaneous raids on bars, the national
stadium and the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.
In July 2016, a truck attack in Nice killed 86 people,
while a series of smaller assaults have targeted
security forces.

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