PARIS, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Police arrested five men in western France Thursday following a tip-off about a possible terror plot, a source close to the case said.

Police in Rennes detained the men, all French nationals of north African origin, 'to verify information on the possible creation of an Islamist grouping that may have had terrorist aims,' said the source.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said information concerning a 'group that could represent a threat of a possible attack' had been passed to investigators.

Speaking after a weekly meeting of the counter-terrorism services, the minister did not provide details on the possible threat, saying 'this is information that we systematically verify.'