Far-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon was also among the targets, but plans to attack him were dropped after he failed to make it through to the presidential election’s second round.
Nine men aged between 17 and 25 and one woman were arrested in a series of raids that took place in the northern Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis and in the southern port town of Marseille, a police source close to the case told the French television channel M6.
The terror cell had planned to attack French government spokesperson Christophe Castaner and far-left opposition leader and former presidential candidate Mr Mélenchon, although the left-wing rebel’s name was taken off the hit list after he failed to make it through to the presidential election final.
Other potential targets included an Indian restaurant in the southern town of Aix-en-Provence, a popular flea market in Marseille, immigrants and mosques, according to the French daily Le Monde.
The terror suspects, who can be held in police custody for up to 96 hours, reportedly told police during questioning that they were “patriots” and “nationalists” but denied being members of the far-right.
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They were, however, arrested over close links to a far-right extremist who is said to be the cell’s ringleader and the mastermind behind the foiled plot, Le Monde reports.
The sole female suspect is mother the mother of the supposed ringleader.
She was arrested after police found out that her son had been storing weapons – including a pump-action shotgun and two revolvers – at her home.
The man was charged with “criminal association in relation to a terrorist undertaking” in June after the plot was successfully foiled by counter-terror officials.
He is currently being held in pre-trial detention.
The man, who was on the government’s official terrorist ‘S’ watch list, was placed under covert surveillance in May, it has been reported.