According to the source, the police "arrested a young man from Mali, who was carrying a suspicious bag and tried to commit an attack on the French Embassy in Nouakchott."
The detainee arrived from Mali having illegally crossed the border, the source added.
The source noted that Mauritanian authorities feared armed groups could "take revenge" against France in Mauritania, which used to be a part of French West Africa, just as in early March, when the French Embassy in Burkina Faso was attacked.
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On March 2, militants carried out an attack on the French Embassy and the General Staff in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou. According to media reports, eight members of Burkina Faso’s security forces were killed in the attacks, while 80 people received injuries. Nusrat Islam wal-Muslimin group, affiliated with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attack.