PARIS: French officials say two men suspected of plotting terror attacks have been detained.

Officials at the Interior Ministry and the Paris prosecutor's office say intelligence and police officers detained them Thursday in a house in Marignane near the southern city of Marseille. The men are 18 and 20.

The Interior Ministry official says the two were suspected of preparing explosives, and had been under surveillance since November. He says they had been identified as a threat based on their online activity, and that authorities moved in because they believed the two were ready to carry out "terrorist acts." The target and location of the potential attacks are unclear.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss terrorism investigations.