6 Arrested Over 'Imprecise' Plot to Attack Macron

The alleged plan was described by sources as 'loose'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 6, 2018 8:37 AM CST
6 Arrested Over 'Vague, Violent' Plot to Attack Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the Trottoir necropolis in Les Eparges, eastern France, Tuesday Nov. 6, 2018, as part of the ceremonies marking the centenary of the end of First World War. A French judicial official says six people have been arrested on preliminary terrorism charges, suspected...   (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

French security agents have arrested six people on preliminary terrorism charges for allegedly plotting to attack French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a French judicial official. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the allegations, said intelligence agents detained the six in three widely scattered regions, including the Alps, Brittany, and near the Belgian border. He said the plan to target the French president appeared to be vague and unfinalized but violent, reports the AP. The Local cites sources who characterized the plot as "imprecise and poorly defined at this stage."

Authorities released no further details about the six suspects and did not say if they were suspected of working together or separately. Reuters cited a local media report that said the six were members of the far right, but it did not confirm that report. The suspected plot against Macron was uncovered days before President Trump and dozens of other world leaders are due in France this weekend for centennial commemorations of the signing of the Nov. 11 armistice that ended World War I. French presidents have been targeted several times over the decades, including in 2002 when a far-right sympathizer tried to attack President Jacques Chirac on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris during Bastille Day celebrations.

(More Emmanuel Macron stories.)

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