French Police detain 10 Islamists

Police in France arrested 10 people suspected members of militant Islamist groups in a raid on Wednesday morning, Le Figaro reported.

All of the suspects detained on Wednesday have allegedly been to Afghanistan or Pakistan or planned to visit these countries to take part in jihad.

The arrests came in Marseilles and in Roubaix in northern France.

French police arrested 20 other suspects in raids last week.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced new measures to fight extremism on March 22, the day police shot dead Mohammed Merah, who killed seven people, including three children, in shooting attacks in Toulouse and Montauban. After being cornered in his apartment, the 23-year-old French-Algerian confessed to the killings and said that he received terrorist training in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The new measures include criminal penalties for regular visits to extremist websites and for travelling abroad to study religious extremism and terrorism, according to RIA Novosti.