Story highlights Five men aged from 26 to 44 are arrested in a police raid in Lunel, southern France

France's interior minister says the arrests deal a "new blow" to terrorism

Paris (CNN) Five men were arrested in southern France Tuesday on suspicion of belonging to a jihadist cell which was recruiting young French people, authorities said.

Speaking at a news conference in Paris, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said "a new blow has been dealt to terrorism" with the arrests in the Herault region.

Police units carried out an early morning raid in in the small town of Lunel overseen by the anti-terror branch of the Paris prosecutor's office.

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Five men aged between 26 and 44 were arrested and remain in police custody. Law enforcement agenst also conducted several searches.

According to Cazeneuve, the five men "are suspected of active participation in a jihadist thread whose members were recruited and indoctrinated, and then themselves recruited and indoctrinated several French young people from Lunel as well."

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