Six people linked to the far right have been detained in connection with a “violent” plot against the French president, Emmanuel Macron, officials said. The six, who were not identified, were picked up by anti-terrorism units in the eastern French regions of Moselle and Isère and the north-west region of Ille-et-Vilaine, officials added.

A source close to the investigation said the arrests came after reports of a possible plot involving “violent action” aimed at the president. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into a “criminal terrorist association”, a judicial source said. Another official said: “This investigation is looking into a plot, vague and ill-defined at this stage, involving violent action against the president of the republic.” In July 2017, a 23-year-old far-right extremist was charged with plotting to assassinate Macron at France’s Bastille Day military parade, which the French leader attended with the US president, Donald Trump.(theguardian)…[+]