French police have arrested a man carrying two handguns and ammunition Thursday at the entrance to a hotel near Disneyland Paris, Europe's most-visited tourist attraction, authorities said.
The 28-year-old male was trying to enter the New York Hotel, however the belongings in his backpack triggered metal detectors, leading to his arrest, said Michel Le Prevost, deputy chief of criminal police of the French city of Meaux, reported BBC.
French media reported that the guns inside the backpack were handguns, and ammunition, as well as the Quran, were found inside along with it.
It's not clear what he needed guns for, but he argued that the guns were for his own protection during police questioning, according to CNN.
News of the arrest comes as the Paris area remains on edge and under a state of emergency following two major Islamist attacks last year. In January, 17 people were killed at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris, while in November, 130 people were killed in shootings and suicide bombings at high-traffic locations throughout the Paris area.
In the meantime, police are still on the lookout for a woman who is believed to be affiliated with a man who they arrested. Police previously announced they arrested her, but since retracted the statement after finding that she was the wrong person.
Employees at both the New York Hotel and several others at the park say the hotel is operating under usual conditions following the arrest, according to the Associated Press.
Disneyland Paris and the French Interior Ministry have yet to leave an official comment about the incident.
