A Syrian granted refugee status was among the seven individuals arrested in the French city of Brest on allegations the group was plotting radical Islamic terror attacks.
The Syrian is said to be in his 30s and arrived in France during the height of the European migrant crisis in 2015 using a Palestinian passport.
He was granted refugee status after just a few months in the country, Ouest France reports.
Sources close to the investigation have claimed that the refugee may also have links to, or have been an active member of, the Islamic State, and was the leader of a terror cell which investigators say may have been plotting attacks.
Others arrested include a 16-year-old high school pupil and a manager of a local halal butcher in Brest, who is said to have been arrested previously after the Bataclan massacre in 2015 when he mimicked the action of shooting a gun at local police officers.