2 detained after gas canisters found near Paris’ Notre Dame

“Several people” are being held in Paris after police found an unmarked vehicle containing gas cylinders next to Notre Dame cathedral, according to French reports, sparking fears of a fresh terrorist plot.

It was found with its hazard lights flashing, two police officials said on Wednesday. One empty canister was sitting on the passenger seat, but no detonators were found during the investigation, sources told Le Figaro.

The vehicle owner was taken into custody but later released, one judicial official said.

Paris remains on edge after 130 people were killed this November in attacks on the Bataclan theatre music venue, several restaurants and a sports stadium.

Officers found six gas cylinders and well as a book with Arabic writing, according to local reports.

The auto was found near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Notre Dame, renowned for its flying buttresses, stained glass windows and gargoyles, is one of Paris’s most popular landmarks, attracting 13 million visitors each year.

Both the man and the woman were known to police before their arrests, with the woman placed on the so-called security “S-List”.

‘The auto had no one in it, as if it was abandoned, ‘ a source told Le Figaro.

A tragedy in Nice on July 14 of this year killed at least 84 people when a truck driven by an IS sympathizer plowed through crowds during Bastille Day celebrations.

Islamic State has threatened Notre Dame as part of its violent campaign against France for sending warplanes to bomb countries including Syria.

Less than two weeks later, two young militants murdered a priest near the northern city of Rouen.