Armed French anti-terrorist police detained nine Islamic militants yesterday suspected of plotting terror attacks in France, a judicial source said. The suspects, arrested in dawn raids in the Yvelines and Eure regions outside Paris, came as Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy was to unveil tough new anti-terror laws designed as France’s response to July 7 bomb attacks in London. The suspects are believed linked to the armed Algerian group GSPC, a radical group allied to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network. The suspects were taken to the headquarters of the DST domestic intelligence agency for questioning. Security officials believe France could be the target of attacks by Islamic militants despite its outspoken opposition to the US-led war in Iraq.

France shares intelligence with the United States and Britain, Washington’s main military ally in Iraq, and has troops taking part in the international force backing Afghanistan’s fragile government. The DST says six French nationals have been killed fighting in Iraq since 2003 and around 10 others are believed to be currently fighting alongside rebels. A number of would-be fighters have also been detained en route by Syria. French officials say the Iraq veterans could pose a threat to domestic security once they return home.

France is to step up its anti-terror arsenal, Sarkozy was to reveal tougher laws later yesterday in response to the July London bomb attacks which killed more than 50 people. Measures include increased use of CCTV surveillance cameras and a law to force Internet cafes and mobile phone operators to keep connection records, probably for 12 months.

<B>Thierry LEVEQUE</B>