France arrests soldier accused of mosque plot
Serviceman arrested at his air force base near city of Lyon for planning attack on local mosque, interior ministry says.
A 23-year-old French soldier was arrested at his air force base near the city of Lyon for planning an attack on a local mosque, the French interior ministry said.
The soldier held views “close to those of the radical extreme right” and had already attacked a mosque in the Bordeaux region last year without causing much damage, the ministry said on Sunday, without giving further details.
Security services are grappling with an increase in far-right activity in France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority.
The government closed down half a dozen far-right groups in July after the death of a left-wing student in a brawl between fringe groups.