France

The suspects, aged between 16 and 23, were arrested Monday at four separate locations around France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

Cazeneuve said the group's leader had been under surveillance after his online activities raised investigators' suspicions. He had also triggered alarms by signaling his desire to travel to Syria, Cazeneuve said. One of the suspects was a former member of the French navy, Cazeneuve said.

The thefts at the Miramas site, which is operated by a combination of military services west of Marseille, appeared to have occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday. The break-in comes as France has strengthened its security measures after two deadly attacks by extremists this year.

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said an investigation has started on charges of "theft with break-in carried out by a criminal group" and "fraudulent entry into a military compound."

The embassy released a statement Friday night urging Americans to report suspicious activities and stay away from any security incidents.

It also noted that French authorities have increased the terrorism alert level in recent months since attacks in January in Paris left 17 victims and three Islamic attackers dead, so there are more troops and police in the streets than in previous years.

And French prosecutors say the suspect who they believe attacked a U.S. gas plant in France is a local truck driver who was known to workers at the Air Products plant.

Air Products says all its employees are accounted for after an attack on a factory in southeastern France. It has not confirmed whether its staff were among the two people reported injured and one dead. The company says in a statement that all employees have been evacuated from the site, which is secure.

It says "our crisis and emergency response teams have been activated and are working closely with all relevant authorities."

Two people were injured, authorities said.

President Francois Hollande, speaking in Brussels, said the attack began shortly before 10 a.m. when a car crashed through the gate of a gas factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, southeast of Lyon. The car then plowed into gas canisters, touching off an explosion, he said.

"No doubt about the intention — to cause an explosion," Hollande said, calling the attack "of a terrorist nature."

When he summoned the police, they found the body of another newborn. A few days later, they found more bags in the garage — with six additional small corpses.

Police contacted the house's previous owners, and quickly discovered the horrifying explanation: Frenchwoman Dominique Cottrez confessed to secretly bearing and then killing eight of her newborns, saying she feared they were children of a long, incestuous relationship with her father.

The release of the spying revelations appeared to be timed to coincide with a final vote Wednesday in the French Parliament on a bill allowing broad new surveillance powers, in particular to counter terrorism threats.

French President Hollande, calling the U.S. spying an "unacceptable" security breach, convened two emergency meetings as a result of the disclosures about the NSA's spying. 

The first was with France's top security officials, the second with leading legislators, many of whom have already voted for the new surveillance measure.