Paris
French police have arrested a family of Islamic extremists for allegedly planning a chemical or biological attack in Paris. The eight detainees are relatives of Menad Benchellali, a militant trained by al Qaida in Afghanistan who was arrested in an anti-terrorism sweep a year ago and remains in prison. His parents, sister, and brother confessed to police this week that they had been helping him develop botulism toxin and the deadly poison ricin. Menad’s father, Chellali Benchellali, is a radical imam at a Lyon mosque, where he recruits jihadis to fight in Chechnya. And one of Menad’s brothers, Mourad, is among six French detainees suspected of ties to al Qaida who are being held at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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