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France thwarts terror attack in naval base

Xinhua, November 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

French anti-terrorism forces have arrested a man who has ties with an Islamist cell in Syria and planned to attack France's major naval base in the southeastern town of Toulon, the Interior Ministry said late Tuesday.

The man had been under surveillance because of his radicalization and public support for jihadist ideology, and was arrested on Oct. 29 as he had attempted to acquire material to take action, the ministry said in a statement.

The France-based BFMTV news channel said the 21-year-old, who had been radicalized since his teenage years, had contact with French jihadists in Syria who encouraged him to attack the military base.

The report added that the young man was arrested and jailed for several months in 2012 for menacing cartoonists of the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

In January 2015, 17 people died during two terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

Some 1,300 people living in France have become fighters in Syria and Iraq or are planning to do so, according to official figures. Endi