23 arrested in police hunts across France

ARIS, Nov. 16 -- Twenty-three people were arrested and 31 weapons seized in police searches Sunday night across France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Monday.

The police conducted the searches in 19 departments and all major cities in the country, Cazeneuve told a press conference here.

"This is just the beginning," he said, adding that "the terrorists will never destroy the Republic, because it is the Republic that will destroy them."

Ten months after the deadly terrorist attack in January, chaos broke out once again Friday night in Paris, where explosions and shootings took place in the 10th and 11th districts and northern suburbs, killing at least 129 people.

France has been on high alert since the Charlie Hebdo series of attacks in January, keeping its security system at the highest level and deploying 10,000 soldiers across the country to ensure security, mainly of sensitive places such as religious centers.

Since Saturday, France has been in a state of emergency.