Teen with suspected 'IS' links arrested in Paris

Counterterrorism police in Paris arrested a 15-year-old on Wednesday on suspicion of having links to the so-called "Islamic State" and plotting terror attacks. This is the second time a 15-year-old with suspected ties to "IS" has been arrested in just five days.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed the arrest and said that intelligence services were working harder than ever to prevent future attacks. "We're working with extreme intensity to identify those we think are likely to carry out an attack," Cazeneuve told reporters. "[France] is in an exceptional level of mobilization."

The youth was arrested in Paris' 20th arrondissement in an operation led by France's domestic intelligence agency. In addition to being suspected of planning attacks, the 15-year-old is thought to have been in contact with Rachid Kassim, a known French jihadi and "IS" member. Kassim is believed to be tied to four terror plots in France since June, including the murder of a priest in a July attack in a Normandy church.

Youths keep communication encrypted

Cazeneuve said the extremist group used encrypted means of communication, citing in particular the encrypted messaging application Telegram, to increasingly radicalize young individuals. Prosecutors said the first arrested youth had also used Telegram to contact Kassim.

Kassim's precise role in the plotted attacks is still under investigation. However, French authorities believe him to be a key instigator in recruiting young people and directing them to plan and carry out attacks at home. He is also believed to have been in contact with a 19-year-old woman who was part of a cell of French female terrorists arrested this month after a foiled plot to detonate a car containing fuel canisters.

Struggling to dismantle terror networks

France has been shaken by a series of deadly attacks since January 2015 that have killed more than 230 people. These include a murderous assault on the offices of satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo," coordinated bombings and shootings in Paris in November 2014 that killed 130 people, and a truck attack on a crowd in Nice in July that left 86 people dead.

French intelligence services have struggled to break up this web of militant networks. Arnaud Danjean, a European Parliament lawmaker specializing in defense and security, told Reuters news agency: "What sets France apart [from other European nations] is the wide-open profile of recruits: urban or rural, Muslim or convert, man or woman." The recent terror attacks in France are the face of this threat, he added.

dm/sms (Reuters, AP, AFP)