French arrest six 'linked' to shoebomber

French police today arrested six suspected Islamic militants linked to Briton Richard Reid’s failed plot to blow up a transatlantic flight last year with a shoe bomb.

The suspects, Algerians and Pakistanis, were picked up in the Paris suburbs.

Today’s arrests were connected to a plot by Londoner Reid to set off explosives in his trainers during a December 22 flight from Paris to Miami. He has been in US custody since then.

French anti-terrorism judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere is investigating who Reid may have met in Paris before boarding the flight.

The six were being questioned in Paris. Under French anti-terrorism laws, they can be held for up to four days before being placed under investigation, formally charged or released.