Three men arrested in France for having explosives and the authorities suspect links with Catalan terrorists

Two men, aged 36 and 47, were arrested yesterday in Kremlin Bicêtre, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, for having 100 grams of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) explosives in their apartment. A third suspect was arrested afterwards as reported by EFE which quotes official sources.

The French Interior Minister, Gérard Collomb said today in an interview with France Info that it is «possible» that this cell had been in contact with the terrorists that carried out the attacks in Catalonia last August. He added that «it is possible that there were links with other people» but «the investigation will reveal everything».

He also recalled that the Catalan terrorists in Alcanar prepared TATP, the same explosives the three arrested were «manufacturing» in Villejuif, France, which is frequently used by jihadists and is «extremely powerful, but also unstable».

The Minister also indicated that the two suspects are French while the third one who is believed to be of Maghrebi origin. The alleged terrorists said that they wanted to use the explosives to blow up banks.