France, Dec. 18 -- The arrest follows an attack on the ministry's email system that affected an unspecified number of sensitive files.

A group of hackers claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on 11 December. They said they had stolen the data of "millions" of French people.

The French prosecutor's department said on Wednesday that the suspect was already known to police and had been convicted of similar crimes earlier this year. Criminal records accessed

The investigation is being handled by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor's office. It is focusing on charges including attacks on a state-run automated personal data processing system by an organised gang.

This offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in...