France: Third suspect arrested during counter-terrorism raid in Paris September 7 /update 1

Event

French security forces detained a third suspect overnight, from Wednesday, September 6, to Thursday, September 7, following a counterterrorism raid in Villejuif, a suburb of Paris, on Wednesday. 

Two suspects were already arrested on Wednesday when police found bomb-making material, ready to use, in an empty flat on Boulevard Chastenet-de-Géry.  The two suspects continue to deny terrorism allegations, and point to a bank heist.

According to media reports, gas bottles, electrical wires, and possible detonators were recovered during the raid.

Context

France has been under a state of emergency since the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in the Paris region that killed 130 people. On June 6, a man armed with a hammer attacked a police officer in front of Notre Dame Cathedral; the officer was lightly wounded and the assailant was shot and killed. On April 20, a shooting targeting French police on the Avenue des Champs Elysées left one officer dead; the assailant was killed. In March, an armed man briefly took a French soldier hostage at Orly Airport before being shot dead.

Advice

Individuals in Paris are advised to monitor the situation, avoid the area of the police operations, and to adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.