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Anti-terrorism operation underway near Paris, 2 arrested – media Anti-terrorism operation underway near Paris, 2 arrested
(35 minutes later)
Two men have been arrested after the discovery of explosives and bomb components at an apartment in Villejuif, a suburb of Paris, AFP reports. The men have been charged with a terrorism plot to blow up a church Two men have been arrested after the discovery of explosives and bomb components at an apartment in Villejuif, a suburb of Paris, local media reports.
Following a tip-off from a man doing maintenance work, police raided an apartment in the Paris suburb and found explosive materials, including the ingredients for TATP explosive, gas canisters and wire, several local media report.Following a tip-off from a man doing maintenance work, police raided an apartment in the Paris suburb and found explosive materials, including the ingredients for TATP explosive, gas canisters and wire, several local media report.
Two suspects have subsequently been arrested and will go before a judge on Friday, according to AFP citing a source. Two suspects have subsequently been arrested.
In custody, one of the men admitted to selling bulletproof vests to another individual who had provided them to Sid Ahmed Ghlam. Earlier, the official Twitter account of Villejuif warned people to stay away from the area.
A 23-year-old Algerian student, Ghlam is already a suspect in the murder of a local woman in April and may have been planning to attack several churches, AFP reports. “The city is asking residents to avoid the neighborhood of 8 May and around the Esselières, where traffic is currently blocked,” it said.
The men have reportedly been charged with terrorist offenses and the illegal transportation and manufacture of explosives.
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Counterterrorism police surrounded the building, at Boulevard Chastenet-de-Géry, at around 3pm and began evacuating residents.
“I am counting on the police for a delicate operation,” Villejuif mayor Franck Le Bohellec wrote on Facebook, posting a picture from the scene.
TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, is an explosive compound that can be made using readily-available ingredients, including nail-polish remover and household bleach. Sometimes known as the ‘mother of Satan’, it has been used in several terrorist atrocities, including the 2016 Brussels bombings and the Manchester Arena bombing in May.