TOULOUSE: Police in southern France arrested a young man celebrating Halloween early on Tuesday after passers-by alerted them to a menacing figure brandishing a rifle and shouting "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for 'God is greatest'.
The rifle turned out to be fake and the 26-year-old suspect, who was dressed in black and khaki, told investigators he didn't understand what the problem was, a police source in the southern city of Toulouse said.
The youth said he had just dressed up for a night out, telling investigators: "You can do anything on Halloween".
French police and citizens are on high alert after a series of deadly attacks by Islamic extremists over the past two years, which claimed more than 200 lives.