Three men have been arrested in France after investigators allegedly found plans they had made in a WhatsApp group chat to join the Islamic State and to commit “violent action” against the Jewish community.
The investigation into the “Soldiers of Allah” group chat was opened in July by France’s domestic intelligence service, the DGSI. It found that the men were allegedly planning to travel to Africa to join a branch of the terrorist group.
Investigators also suspected the trio of plans to carry out “violent action” on French Jews, according to Ynet.
According to France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, or PNAT, the suspects were investigated over an alleged “criminal association with a terrorist organisation for the purpose of preparing acts of terrorism”.
They were then taken into custody last weekend, at the order of the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office.
One of the suspects is also reported by French outlet RTL to have been in contact with an IS-linked woman who was arrested in August by the FBI on suspicion of plotting an attack in the US.
During her time in custody, she is reported to have said that she wanted to target as many senators as possible.
A source close to the French investigation confirmed to AFP that “there is a connection between one of the suspects brought before the judge and a woman arrested by the FBI in the United States”.
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