French Prosecutors Open Investigation After Weapons Found in Car Near Sarcelles Synagogue; No Explosives Detected

French anti-terrorism prosecutors opened an investigation Sunday into charges of forming a terrorist criminal organization with intent to prepare attacks on persons and to transport, possess and acquire weapons in connection with a terrorist enterprise.

The inquiry followed the discovery of weapons inside a stolen car parked in Sarcelles, a suburb north of Paris. The vehicle was located near one of the town's several synagogues in a busy area close to a cinema and restaurants.

Three hundred people were evacuated from the neighborhood Saturday evening after reports of a suspicious vehicle. Authorities established a security cordon around the car. Bomb disposal experts found no explosives inside the vehicle.

A police source reported that the car contained an assault-style rifle and a handgun, including a military-grade weapon. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the individuals involved have not been identified. " Nuñez stated that three attacks had been foiled in France since the start of the year, including a knife attack last February on a gendarme beneath the Arc de Triomphe during the ceremony to rekindle the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.