Frenchwoman who tried to join ISIS in Syria arrested after car packed with gas cylinders is found dumped close to Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral

A 'RADICALISED' Frenchwoman who wanted to run away to Syria to join ISIS has been arrested after abandoning a car packed with gas cylinders close to Notre Dame Cathedral.

The suspect - who is 29 and is on a terror watchlist - disappeared with her boyfriend, aged 34, on Sunday morning.

The car, a Peugeot 607 was found abandoned with its hazard lights flashing on a no-parking zone in Paris’ Rue du Petit-Point close to the famous landmark at 7.30am.

There were seven gas canisters inside – promoting fears of a terrorist attack on the ancient place of worship - which is high on a list of ISIS targets.

Despite being in the heart of the capital, the suspect vehicle was left untouched for two hours before the alarm was raised by someone living nearby.

A source close to the case said: "It may have been that they were on a test run. There was nobody in the car, and the canisters were not connected to any detonator or explosives."

Six full canisters were reportedly found in the boot of the Peugeot and an empty one in the back seat.

Documents written in Arabic were also discovered inside the vehicle.

The mysterious car had no number plate, but forensic experts managed to find DNA belonging to the couple, who were both well known to police.

The couple were finally caught close to the southern city of Orange on Tuesday, while "trying to escape to Spain".

They were interviewed by police in Avignon before being transferred to Paris in an armed convoy.

Investigators spent four days raiding the homes of anybody who might be linked to them.

Six people were originally arrested, with the woman and her boyfriend who are both in custody in a high-security police station. All the others have been released.
The woman is said to be originally from the northern Paris of suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis.
Her father told officers that she was "radicalised as a teenager" and expressed the wish to go and fight with ISIS abroad.

The suspect told her parents she was "going away with a friend" at the weekend but and say they haven't heard from her since.

Islamic State has threatened Notre Dame as part of its violent campaign against France for sending warplanes to bomb countries including Syria.

In May, Patrick Calvar, the head of France’s DGSI internal security agency, said he was confident ISIS would "reach the stage of car bombs".

So far the terrorist organisation has used AK47s and suicide vests to murder and maim in the French capital.

But Mr Calvar told a committee of MPs that car bombs were used during terrorist attacks between the 1970s and 1990s.

Many were placed by Israeli and Arab operatives who effectively bought the Israel-Palestine war on to the streets of Paris.

On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the "terrorist menace has never been so high".

Last year, an ISIS suicide unit carried out a series of attacks which left 137 dead, including the perpetrators.

Paris prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into terrorist acts, and are being assisted by the anti-terrorist unit of the Paris criminal brigade.

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