Via CBS News:
An official says French police detained a radical preacher in December who was ready to lead dozens of young Muslims from the southern city of Nice to Afghanistan.
The official said Monday that Omar Diaby, a 37-year-old Senegalese man, was meeting up with two followers on Dec. 9 when he was stopped by police for an ID check that upended his plans.
(source)
French paper Nice-Matin reports that Omar Diaby, who was radicalized in prison, was an active member of Forsane Alizza. He and four others were under surveillance for over a year. According to an official source there were links between Omar and Mohamed Merah, though the paper speculates those links were common ideas, rather than common terrorist activity.
