French police foil terrorist attack on churches by Franco-Algerian student

A student allegedly planning a church attack in France has been arrested, the country's interior minister said yesterday, just over three months after Paris was hit by a jihadist killing spree.

In a baffling series of events, the 24-year-old Franco-Algerian IT student - known to intelligence services for wanting to fight in Syria alongside jihadists - was detained on Sunday in Paris after he himself called police over a bullet injury to his leg.

"Several war weapons, hand guns, ammunition, bullet-proof vests and computer and telephone hardware" were subsequently found at his home and in his car, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

His DNA was later found in the car of a young mother from northern France who died in mysterious circumstances over the weekend near Paris.

Cazeneuve said apart from the weapons, police had also discovered detailed research "clearly establishing that the person was planning to commit an imminent attack against one or two churches".

"Sunday morning, this attack was foiled."