Germany detains man suspected of role in Paris attacks

German authorities have detained a man suspected of selling weapons to the militants who massacred 130 people in the French capital of Paris earlier this month.

Prosecutors in the southern German city of Stuttgart confirmed on Friday that they had arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of arms dealing.

German newspaper Bild said four assault rifles were sold online by the man to a buyer of “Arab descent” on November 7. The paper said French prosecutors believe the weapons were used during the deadly militant raids in Paris on November 13.

Back then, coordinated bombings and armed attacks against different venues, including a concert hall, in the French capital killed 130 people and injured 350 others.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is mainly active in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The latest arrest comes amid stepped-up security in several European countries, with raids carried out against what their governments have said are militant hideouts and the accomplices of the Paris attackers.

Europe is on heightened alert for new threats from home-grown terrorists, who return battle-hardened from Syria to their European countries of origin.