French police commandos have arrested 19 people suspected of radical Islamist activity in morning raids in several cities including Toulouse, scene of the killings of seven people by an al Qaeda-inspired gunman earlier this month.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is waging a battle for re-election, said more raids would follow.
"There will be further operations, allowing us to expel a number of people who have no business in the country," he said.
Gunman Mohamed Merah was killed by police snipers just over a week ago after shooting dead three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three soldiers in attacks around Toulouse, turning internal security into a bigger campaign issue ahead of the presidential election.
Polls show that more than 70% of voters approve of Mr Sarkozy's handling of the Toulouse shootings, which reduced his chief rival, Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande, to the role of bystander ahead of the two-round election on April 22 and May 6.
A police source said about 20 had been arrested in raids yesterday in Toulouse in the south-west, Nantes in western France and also in the Paris region and south-east France. Mr Sarkozy put the number of arrests at 19.
Several television channels showed images of the raids. Commandos were seen breaking down doors, smashing windows, and taking suspects away.
French Interior Minister Claude Gueant said five rifles, three Kalashnikovs, four automatic handguns and a bullet-proof vest had been found.
"These are people who ... claimed they were acting for an extremely violent, jihadist and combat ideology," Mr Gueant said. "They had a paramilitary type of training."
The swoops were not directly related to Merah's killing spree, according to a police source.
Mr Sarkozy, who ordered a crackdown on radical Islamists after the Toulouse killings, barred six Islamic preachers from entering the country on Thursday.
Mr Gueant dismissed talk that the raids had been carried out in response to suggestions that the intelligence services had failed to trace Merah quickly enough.
The police source said the raids were not directly related to the investigation into the case of Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, whose brother is in custody on suspicion of complicity.
The source said several of the people arrested were believed to be close to a radical Islamist group called Forsane Alizza (Knights of Pride) that was recently outlawed. Mr Gueant said the group's leader, Mohammed Achamlane, had been arrested in Nantes.
Founded in 2010, Forsane Alizza came to prominence after calling for the boycott of McDonald's in the city of Limoges accusing the fast food chain of serving Israel.
Mr Achamlane said in January that the group could not exclude launching an armed struggle "if Islamophobia continues to intensify".
Before the Toulouse attacks, the group was known for provocative demonstrations. Mr Gueant dissolved the group in February, accusing it of preparing its supporters for armed struggle.
Gilles Kepel, political scientist and specialist in Islam, said the group operated more on the internet – preaching extreme views but never turning to violence.
"It's a big show, but obviously spreading ideas that can cause problems," he said.
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