Man found headed to Paris with explosives in car denies helping to prepare a terror attack

A man who was found with guns and explosives in his car has denied having any knowledge of a planned terror attack. The 51-year-old man, identified only as Vucelic V, was arrested during a routine police check in Bavaria on 5 November, a week before the terror attacks on Paris which left 130 people dead.

Eight Kalashnikovs, handguns, two hand grenades and 200 grammes of TNT explosives were found in his car VW Golf. A sat-nav system showed an address in Paris, which was also found on a handwritten note in the vehicle, along with a phone number for a contact in France. The suspect was headed towards the French capital when he was stopped by police.

Appearing in court in Munich, Vucelic said that he knew the weapons were in the vehicle, but he denied knowing that an attack was being planned.

He is charged with "acting as an accomplice in the preparation of a serious act of violence" threatening French state security and faces additional charges for the unlawful possession and transportation of assault weapons.

While no direct link has been established between the attacks and the defendant, if convicted, he faces a minimum of three years and nine months in jail, Sky News reports.

In a night of terror in Paris, around 100 people were shot dead by gunmen who stormed the Bataclan concert hall late on 13 November. Several attackers stormed the concert hall and opened fire on the public. A prolonged hostage situation that ensued was broken by police intervention

Gunmen also targeted numerous cafes and restaurants in the city's centre while explosions went off outside Stade de France in northern Paris, where France and Germany were playing an international football match.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the coordinated suicide bomb and gun attacks which left 130 people dead.