French authorities have detained three men suspected of planning an attack against the Jewish community and considering travelling to Africa to join Islamic State,
as investigators examine a possible link between one of the suspects and a woman accused in the United States of plotting an ISIS-inspired attack.
The men, aged between 18 and 26, were arrested on Tuesday in the Essonne and Indre-et-Loire regions following an investigation by France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI.
France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office said the investigation began in July after authorities identified suspected jihadist activity among members of a WhatsApp group called "Soldiers of Allah". The three men were subsequently placed under investigation for suspected terrorist criminal conspiracy and remanded in custody.
Investigators suspect the men were considering travelling to Africa to join Islamic State and had also discussed possible violence against France's Jewish community.
Authorities have not disclosed a specific target or provided details indicating how far any alleged attack preparations had progressed.
Possible US connection
One of the suspects, a 20-year-old man, was reportedly in contact with Jessica Bowie, a 35-year-old woman from Albany, New York, who was arrested by the FBI in August.
US prosecutors accuse Bowie of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and allege that she planned to use an explosive device at the New York State Capitol with the intention of killing public officials and damaging the building before travelling to territory controlled by the group.
According to French and US reporting, investigators are examining the contact between Bowie and the French suspect. French authorities have not publicly established that the two cases were part of the same operation, however, and the significance of the reported communication remains under investigation.
The French investigation began with monitoring activity in the WhatsApp group and led to the arrests on Sept. 1. On Friday, prosecutors opened a formal judicial investigation into suspected terrorist criminal conspiracy involving preparations for crimes against people. The three suspects were subsequently charged and ordered into pretrial detention.
France has Europe's largest Jewish community and has maintained heightened security around Jewish institutions amid continued concerns over Islamist terrorism and antisemitic violence.
The case comes as French counterterrorism authorities continue to investigate suspected jihadist networks and online radicalisation. Recent investigations have also focused on alleged threats against Jewish sites, highlighting the continued security concerns facing the country's Jewish community.
The allegations against the three French suspects have yet to be tested in court. Bowie has also been charged in the United States but is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Photo by Quinn Dombrowski from Berkeley, USA, Wikimedia commons.