A stash of detonators, grenades and explosives have been stolen from a French military site, stoking security concerns in a country reeling from recent attacks by extremists.
Authorities are investigating the mystery theft of 180 detonators, 40 grenades and 10 blocks of 250-gramme plastic explosives from the multi-service Miramas military site near Marseille in south-east France.
The culprit or culprits appear to have cut through security fencing to get inside.
The break-in, believed to have taken place overnight Sunday to Monday, has sent a shudder through a country that recently has raised its terrorism alert status to the highest level after deadly attacks by extremists in January and last month.
The defence minister has ordered an immediate review of security at France's military weapons stockpiles.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said in a statement that an investigation has begun on charges of "theft with break-in carried out by a criminal group" and "fraudulent entry into a military compound".
Mr Robin declined to provide details, saying: "All leads are under consideration. No single lead is being ruled out."
Officials with the gendarmerie police force, which generally runs law enforcement in rural areas, said the thief or thieves appeared to have cut through a fence to enter the high-security site.
Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian ordered an investigation into how the break-in was organised and who might be responsible.
He also instructed a new office in charge of protecting such sites to review the security for all French military weapons stocks and to propose "corrective measures" within 15 days.
Miramas mayor Frederic Vigouroux said nine storehouses were affected in the theft - the first at the site. The 500-acre base sits on the outskirts of the town of 30,000 and stocks munitions like those used in French military operations in Mali and Afghanistan.
"It wasn't cotton candy that was stolen," Mr Vigouroux said. "These are dangerous munitions."
Col Gilles Jaron, a spokesman for French military, said about 160 civilians and soldiers work on the site daily, and guards with sniffer dogs patrol behind two fences separated by a "no-man's-land".
He said the explosives are not speciality munitions and relatively easy to use, and had been destined for use by many types of military personnel.