A suspected Isis terror plot has been foiled in France with the arrest of seven suspected jihadis in Strasbourg and Marseille, authorities have said.

Bernard Cazeneuve, France's interior minister, said they were arrested in a series of coordinated raids on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning.

He told a news conference that DGSI counter-terror officers had been monitoring the cell for more than eight months, after uncovering links to a network arrested in June for planning attacks during the Euro 2016 football tournament.

“The work of the DGSI allowed us to thwart a terrorist act envisaged for a long time on our soil,” Mr Cazeneuve said. “A new attack has been foiled.”

France attack suspects pledge loyalty to Isis

The suspects are aged between 29 and 37 years old and of French, Moroccan and Afghan nationalities.

A Moroccan man was previously reported to French security services by a partner country but the other six were unknown to intelligence agencies.

The public prosecutor in Paris has started an investigation to establish the suspects’ roles and whether their plan was a single attack or coordinated strikes on several sites across the country.

Security sources told Le Parisien the suspects had fought in Syria and were linked to the Isis cell that carried out the Paris attacks.

The group’s “nervousness” as they awaited a weapons delivery reportedly sparked their arrests as the risk from the plot increased.

Mr Cazeneuve said 418 terror suspects have been arrested since the start of this year, with 43 arrests this month alone, preventing other planned attacks.

In pictures: Paris attacks Show all 25 1 /25 In pictures: Paris attacks In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police with protective shields walk in line near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Vigipirate troops mobilize next to Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French soldiers mobilize near to the Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theatre EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks People react as they gather to watch the scene near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police secure the area outside a cafe near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers workers evacuate victims near the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French President Francois Hollande attending an emergency meeting at the Interior Ministry AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France after explosions were heard outside AP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A man lies on the ground as French police check his identity near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police officers man a position close to the Bataclan theatre AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Two men evacuate the Place de la Republique square in Paris as a police officer looks on AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Football fans are evacuated from the Stade de France stadium In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks An armed police officer Dan Gabriel In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France is evacuated after reports of an explosion In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police are seen outside a cafe in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris, In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers assist an injured man on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The scene at a restaurant in 10th arrondissement In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Bataclan theatre - where around 100 people are thought be held hostage In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France as it was evacuated In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Forensic experts inspect the site of an attack outside the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis AFP

He warned that the disparate nature of the “unprecedented threat” made preventing atrocities a complex operation but that the French government was doing everything it could to fight terrorism.

The minister was due to meet his counterparts from countries in West Africa and the Sahel to combat radical networks and arms trafficking on Monday evening and Tuesday.

“The challenge is immense and zero risk cannot be guaranteed – those who say it can are lying to the French people,” Mr Cazeneuve said. “I report to our compatriots: every effort is being made in every minute, every moment, to prevent this threat and protect France.”

Mr Cazeneuve did not specify the target of the plot or the group behind it, with the arrests coming five days before the opening of the Christmas market in Strasbourg, which attracts tourists from across Europe and was the target of a failed extremist plot in 2000.

Roland Ries, the city’s mayor, said officials told him that Paris was the target and that the market would go ahead for the 446th year, France Bleu reported.