Police in southern France have arrested four women and a girl as part of an anti-terrorist investigation into a suspected attack on the city of Montpellier
PARIS – Police in the south of France have arrested four women and a girl as part of an anti-terrorism investigation into a suspected attack on the city of Montpellier.
A police officer in the Herault region confirmed the arrests in the city of Beziers, and on Sunday said the DGSI domestic intelligence service and the national prosecutor’s office against terrorism were handling the investigation.
Investigators have focused on an 18-year-old woman living in a housing project in Beziers, who according to Mayor Robert Menard is suspected of an attack targeting nearby Montpellier. The 18-year-old’s mother and three sisters were also arrested, including one who is a minor, he said.
The 18-year-old ‘boasted’ with neighbors watching Islamic State videos, Menard told The Associated Press, although he said he did not know if his or her family was on radar’s radar.
Menard, who was notified of the operation by police, said he spoke to rattling neighbors at the scene.
“They are terrified. “They fear that it gives a bad image of this environment and the Muslim community here,” he said.