Terror link after gas cylinders found in car near cathedral

The French police on Wednesday held two suspects, after detecting several gas cylinders in a car near Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral, sources close to the investigation said. The Peugeot 607 was discovered abandoned at the weekend with its hazard lights flashing, the sources said.

The car owner and another person, who are both known to security services, were arrested on Tuesday and anti-terror investigators have launched a probe. France remains on a high alert for terror attacks. In November last year, suicide bombers and gunmen had killed 130 people in the city in a series of attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS).

A bar employee, working near the cathedral, raised an alert after noticing a gas cylinder on the rear seat of the car, which had no number plates, on Sunday, a police source said. That cylinder was found to be empty but five full cylinders were found in the boot of the car. No detonators were found, police said. The car was parked in a street opposite the cathedral on the left bank of the Seine.