Two held in France on suspicion of planning attack during election: Sources

Paris: Two men have been arrested in Marseille, southern France, on suspicion of planning an attack during the forthcoming presidential election, judicial and police sources said on Tuesday.

Police had been hunting the pair since the end of last week and they were arrested a few minutes apart in the southeastern port city, the police source said.

The police source added that one of the two had turned to radical Islam during a term in prison. A search of a rented apartment was continuing.

France goes to the polls to choose a new president on April 23, with a second round of voting due on May 7. More than 230 people have died in Islamist militant attacks in the country over the past two years.