12 suspects allegedly linked to Paris attacks arrested

Paris: At least 12 people were arrested Friday in various areas in the French capital city of Paris during a police operation in connection with the last week's terrorist attacks.

The arrests were carried out by the French National Police's special operations unit, known as RAID.

According to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, "most of the arrested have criminal records."

Following the attacks that left 17 people dead last week, police and the gendarmerie launched a joint operation aimed at searching and finding possible accomplices to the terrorists, said Cazeneuve.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that Friday's arrests "show France's determination to dismantle all networks" that included the individuals who carried out the attacks.

Eight people were arrested in the town of Grigny, southeast of Paris, where terrorist Ahmedy Coulibaly, who killed four people at a Jewish market in the capital Friday, lived throughout his childhood and youth, according to the television channel BFM.

French police have been searching for Coulibaly's wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, who reportedly flew to Turkey Jan 2 and entered Syria, along with a jihadi brother who was convicted in France in July 2014 for being involved in a network that recruited fighters for the Syrian conflict.

On the other hand, Paris is in a state of maximum security alert: around 10,000 soldiers and 4,700 police and gendarmes are currently being deployed throughout France.