An Algerian man suspected of planning an imminent attack on a church has been arrested in Paris, with police discove-ring Kalashnikovs, hand guns and ammunition in his possession, top officials said yesterday.

The 24-year old electronics student, who is also suspected of the murder of a 32-year-old woman, was detained on Sunday after he apparently shot himself by accident and called an ambulance. The man was not named by the police.

France heightened surveillance of potential suspects and deployed troops to patrol sensitive sites after Islamist militants killed 17 people in January in attacks on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly and a Jewish food store.

Police found weapons and bullet-proof vests in the Algerian’s car and at his home, as well as printed material on Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

“Detailed documents that were found established beyond doubt that the individual was planning an imminent attack, probably on one or two churches,” said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

He said the Algerian man had previously come to the attention of the French authorities as possibly wanting to go to Syria. The Police had made checks on him in 2014 and this year without finding anything that could warrant further investigation in his movements or dealings.

Algerian had bullet-proof vests and weapons, material on al-Qaeda and Islamic State

Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins yesterday said that a search of the man’s phones and laptops had in fact “revealed that he was in touch with another person, who could be in Syria, with whom he was discussing ways to carry out an attack and who had specifically asked him to target a church.”

Le Monde newspaper said the police believe that the suspect had tried on Sunday to steal the car of the woman who was later found dead and somehow he shot himself by accident during the aborted robbery.

The blood of the dead woman was found on his jacket, Molins said.

Molins said the Algerian had made “farfetched” comments regarding the arms found in his car, claiming that he had become afraid of holding so many weapons and had injured himself when trying to throw them in the river Seine, which flows through Paris.

A person close to the suspect was held for questioning yesterday, Molins said, without giving details about any further developments related to the case.

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