A man arrested in France over an “imminent and violent attack” ahead of the first round of France’s presidential election was also wanted in Belgium, it has emerged.
Clement Baur, 23, was detained on Sunday along with another man, named in reports as Mahiedine Merabet, 29.
On Wednesday, Belgium’s federal prosecutor revealed Baur was wanted for questioning, but did not disclose why.
In a statement, the prosecutor said: “However, there has been no trace of him in Belgium since the end of 2015.”
Belgium had co-operated with the French authorities as they sought Baur, it added.
According to officials Baur, a French national, had links to Belgian jihadi networks.
After the two men were arrested in Marseille, police found guns, explosives and an Islamic State flag.
They were known to be “radicalised”, according to interior minister Matthias Fekl.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said both had criminal records, and were suspected of planning “an imminent, violent act on French soil, though we don’t know precisely the day, the target or targets”.
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