France arrests serviceman accused of mosque plot

PARIS -- The French Interior Ministry says a military serviceman who was planning an attack on a mosque has been arrested.

In a statement Sunday, the ministry said a 23-year-old man, who was stationed at an air base near the city of Lyon, was "close to ideas of the extreme, radical right." The statement said the man was planning to fire on a mosque in the area. It did not say when he was taken into custody. The ministry did not immediately respond to requests for more details.

Militant extreme-right groups have become more visible recently in France, and the government has stepped up its efforts to track and disband them.

The statement said that "no tolerance will be afforded" to radicals.