Seven of the suspects were detained in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille and the rest in Montpellier, Draguignan and Grenoble, also in the southeast, the official said.

Police also raided several properties, including a Kurdish cultural centre in Marseille.

The raids were part of an investigation launched in 2008 into activities in France linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an independent Kurdish homeland for more than two decades.

The official said French anti-terrorist police suspect it has been recruiting and training young members at sites in France, including one training camp discovered north of Montpellier last year.

They also suspect links with Kurdish groups in Germany, Belgium and Italy.

Classed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, including the European Union, the PKK took up arms against Ankara in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.