Saudi Arabia has warned that al-Qaida was plotting to launch fresh attacks against Europe, especially France, French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said on Sunday, Xinhua reported.
"Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was without doubt active or planning to be active in Europe, especially France," he said during a radio interview.
The minister said the warning was received "several hours or days ago."
"This is not about overestimating the threat or underestimating it," he told French radio RTL. "The threat is real."
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an arm of al-Qaida thought to include Yemenis and Saudis, has stepped up attacks on Yemeni and Western targets since it claimed responsibility for a failed U.S. airliner bombing last December.
The latest kidnapping of French nationals in Africa and successive hoax bombs in the heart of Paris pose one of the biggest threats to France's security.
France said last month it was facing a significantly higher terror threat and the country's terror alert level remains at red, the second-highest level.
Britain's Foreign Office issued its latest warning early this month for its citizens traveling in France and Germany, saying there was a "high threat" of terrorism in the two European countries.
Britain's move came shortly after the U.S. State Department warned Americans of the "potential for terrorist attacks in Europe" in a new travel alert.