Five men arrested last weekend in raids in France were planning a terror attack next Thursday in Paris, according to the city’s chief prosecutor.

Francois Molins said the suspects were receiving orders via encrypted mobile apps from a commander of the so-called Islamic State based in Iraq or Syria. The raids, in Strasbourg and Marseille, also turned up automatic weapons.

French anti-terror police have now kept the men in custody without charge a day beyond the maximum period. They are able to do so following a recent change to anti-terror laws.

Mr Molins said investigators had not established the target of the planned attack, but he said GPS coordinates were found on a USB stick.

France remains under a state of emergency following the attacks in Paris in November 2015 that killed 130 people.