Suspect in French terror plot had orders from IS group: Paris prosecutor

One of the three men suspected of planning an attack against a French military base had been asked by an Islamic State group militant in Syria to "strike" France, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Friday. The youngest of the three suspects, aged 17, received the request when it became clear he could not go to Syria to fight alongside jihadist groups because he was under surveillance.

Paris prosecutor François Molins Reuters

The three men were to appear before a judge Friday and are expected to be charged with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts.

They have been held at the headquarters of the General Directorate for Internal Security since their arrest in Monday dawn raids at different locations in France.

Also arrested was a 16-year-old boy who was released Wednesday night after investigators determined that he had “dismissed” the plot, a judicial source told French news agency AFP.

The three suspects told investigators they planned to behead a senior officer of a military base in southern France and record the scene with a GoPro camera.

The oldest of the group, aged 23, served as a navy signalman at the base around the southern town of Collioure, which is also used for training by elite commando forces.

Identified as Djebril, he was discharged from the navy in January for back problems, a source close to the investigation told AFP. The target is thought to have been his former boss.

The 17-year-old suspect had been under close surveillance by authorities due to his activities on social media and connections to French jihadists in prison.

All three had been planning to travel to jihadist-controlled areas of Syria.

The mother of the youngest suspect became concerned about his radicalisation and contacted police, the source told AFP.

He was interviewed by counter-terrorism officials and was aware he was under surveillance.

"They claim to be part of Daesh," the source said, using an alternative Arabic acronym to refer to the Islamic State group.