Terrorist attack thwarted in France as seven arrested, minister says

Paris (dpa) - Security services in France have arrested seven men, thwarting an attempted terrorist attack in the nation, the government said Monday.The domestic intelligence agency foiled a planned terrorist attack that "had been envisaged for some time on our soil," French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in Paris, without providing details of the plans.France is reeling after a series of terrorist attacks during the last two years, including a coordinated string of attacks in Paris last November, which killed 130 people, and an attack in Nice in July, which killed 86 people.On Saturday night seven men in Strasbourg and Marseille were arrested as part of an anti-terrorism investigation conducted by the Paris prosecutors‘ office.The arrests sparked fears that the Strasbourg Christmas market could have been a target for the planned attacks.The festival, which draws in about 2 million guests annually, is still planned to open on Friday, according to regional broadcaster France Bleu Alsace.In December 2000, a group of Algerians were prevented from carrying out a bomb attack on the Strasbourg Christmas market.