Paris: France said it had foiled a militant plot and arrested seven people in Marseille and Strasbourg. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the seven people of French, Moroccan and Afghan origin, aged 29 to 37, had been detained on Sunday. Two were arrested in Marseille. Most of the others, he said yesterday, were arrested in Strasbourg — a city where one of oldest and largest Christmas markets is set to open this week.

“An attack has been foiled... The scale of the terrorist threat is enormous and it is not possible to ensure zero risk despite everything we are doing,” he added. He gave no information on the target of the planned attack. But a source close to the inquiry revealed that Strasbourg had not been targetted. The mayor of Strasbourg said it appeared that the plot had focused on “the Paris region”.