Weapons stolen from French military site

French authorities are investigating the theft. The gendarmerie police force says the thefts at the Miramas site west of Marseille appeared to have occurred overnight Sunday to Monday.

Thieves broke into the army logistics base in Miramas near Marseilles on Sunday night after cutting through a wire fence. The facility is used to stockpile weapons for foreign missions, such as those in Africa. Top French security and defense officials were meeting Tuesday about the theft. A gendarmerie official said the thief or thieves appeared to have cut through a fence to enter the high-security site. He was not authorized to speak publicly because the operation is ongoing. Mayor Frederic Vigouroux of Miramas told the BFM television network the theft appeared to be "very professional." France has been on its highest level of alert for terrorism following deadly attacks in January and last month. The Defense Ministry and army officials declined to comment. Europe 1 radio reported around 40 grenades had also been stolen. It said the base occupied an area measuring some 250 hectares and was surrounded by two rows of wire fencing, but had no security cameras. France has been on high alert since a jihadist killing spree six months ago in Paris that left 17 people dead, including 12 people gunned down in the editorial offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The country is high on the hit list of Daesh. In the most recent attack in France, a 35-year-old found to have links to a Daesh fighter in Syria beheaded his boss at a gas factory in Lyon and rammed a van full of gas bottles into a warehouse, creating an explosion, Kazinform refers to Arabnews.com.