A French national in the “advanced stages” of a plot to attack the country has been arrested in north-west Paris and security forces locked down the area during a major search, said Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister.

Police carried out raids in the Argenteuil suburb of Paris following the arrest of the man at 5.30pm on Thursday who was believed to be planning a terrorist attack. A building was evacuated and sniffer dogs and anti-mine experts are at the scene to search for explosives.

Cazeneuve said an attack had been foiled. “These searches follow an arrest by the [French intelligence agency] on Thursday morning that allowed us to stop a planned bombing in France that was at an advanced stage,” he said.

“The individual questioned, a French national, is suspected of high-level involvement in this plan. He was part of a terrorist network that planned to strike France,” Cazeneuve said.



Police officers block a street in Argenteuil, northwest of Paris. Photograph: Francois Mori/AP

“At this stage, there is no tangible evidence that links this plot to the attacks in Paris and Brussels,” said Cazeneuve, who was in the Belgian capital earlier on Thursday.

The minister confirmed that the arrested suspect was of French nationality and belonged to a terrorist network. The suspect had been under surveillance by police for several months. The police operation took place at Boulevard General Delambre.



France has been on high alert since the 13 November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and injured hundreds. Cazenueve said there had been 75 arrests since the beginning of the year, and 28 suspects had been jailed.