‘Foiled Paris attack was directed by IS’

Three women arrested over a foiled attack in Paris were
directed by so-called Islamic State (IS) from Syria, a French
prosecutor has said.
The group “wanted to make the women into fighters,”
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.
A policeman was stabbed during an operation late on
Thursday to arrest the women, after the discovery of a
suspect car containing gas canisters, the BBC reports.
The vehicle was found near Notre Dame cathedral in Paris
on Sunday.
Police shot and wounded one of the women during the
operation in Boussy-Saint-Antoine, south-east of the city.
One of the three women, aged 19, reportedly declared her
allegiance to IS in a letter.
The others arrested were said to be aged 39 and 23.
President Francois Hollande said: “An attack was
derailed… a group has been disbanded, but there are
others and we must be able to act each time before it is
too late and that’s what we’re doing.”
Mr. Molins said the latest plot showed IS was now
recruiting women to carry out attacks.