France warns of threats

Boy arrested in feared attack

Paris — French police have arrested a 15-yearold boy at his Paris home to thwart what they feared was a planned weekend attack, as the prime minister warned on Sunday that about 15,000 people in the country could be in the process of being radicalized.

The arrest of the teenager on Saturday came two days after police moved in on what the Paris prosecutor says was a group of female “commandos” arrested after an aborted attack at Notre Dame Cathedral and another possible attack. Those arrested included a 15-year-old girl, the daughter of one of three women arrested south of Paris.

A security official said Sunday that France’s intelligence services “detected a threat” and a judicial official said police moved into action Saturday fearing a planned attack this weekend.

The officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the arrest and asked not to be named.

Intelligence agents suspected the boy planned to carry out a knife attack in a public place this weekend, the judicial official said.

France is in a state of emergency after three attacks this year, including the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice that killed 86 people. That followed two waves of attacks last year, notably the Nov. 13 attacks on restaurants, bars, a concert hall and stadium that left 130 people dead.