French television channel BFM said according to the source, security services arrested the people this morning on suspicion of undertaking an “imprecise and loosely-formed” plan for “violent action” against Emmanuel Macron.
The report said these individuals were members of the far-right, although this has not been independently confirmed.
Security services arrested the alleged suspects in Isere, southeast of Lyon; Moselle,on the border with Germany and Luxembourg; and in Ille-et-Vilaine, northwest of Rennes.
It has not been revealed what the connection between the six people arrested is or how they came into contact with each other.
This is the second major security scare for Mr Macron in 16 months after a 23-year-old man was arrested and charged in a plot to kill him at a Bastille Day Parade in July 2017.
Authorities were alerted to the unnamed man after he spoke about wanting to buy a gun while playing video games online with other participants.
When officers approached the suspect, they found three knives in his car. He had also used the internet to search for potential targets.
According to a report from French international news agency AFP, he was described as a far-right extremist with a hatred of “Muslims, Jews, blacks and homosexuals”.
News of the latest plot to target Mr Macron comes just hours after he launched a scathing attack on the European Union, renewing calls to accelerate plans for a “real European army” to ensure the bloc’s member states are protected from growing military threats.
The French President has continued to defend his manifesto for the European elections next year, insisting Brussels must increase efforts to build a new European-wide army.
He has repeatedly urged the EU to arm itself with a strong and robust defence force so it can stop relying on the increasingly volatile US, as well as NATO, on security issues.
Speaking to Paris radio station Europe 1, Mr Macron raged: “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America.
“When I see President Trump announcing that he’s quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s euro-missile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.
“We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army.”
With the exceptions of France and Britain, NATO members from throughout Europe have mostly relied on American firepower to protect them since World War II.
Mr Macron cited increasing Russian animosity over recent months as the main cause of concern, fuelling his demands for a European defence force.
He continued: “Against Russia, which stands at our border and has shown it can be a threat, I want to build a real debate on security with Russia, which is a country I respect, which is European.
“We must have a Europe that defends itself by itself and does not just depend on the United States – and more sovereign.”
The French President also suggested a stronger EU would have a better chance at surviving increasing threats from populist and nationalist movements whose support has risen over the past couple of years.
He concluded: “I am lucid. We are living in a Europe fractured by the rise of nationalism. We are in need of a stronger Europe, to not let history repeat itself.”