PARIS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- French police had foiled a 9/11-inspired assault just before the Paris police headquarters attack which left four killed on Oct. 3, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has revealed.

"An individual, who was inspired by the events of Sept. 11 and the planes which destroyed the World Trade Center towers, was arrested by our intelligence services," Castaner told France 2 television late on Thursday.

The minister added that the individual planned to hijack a plane before he was detained by the police.

Citing a source close to the investigation, local newspaper Le Figaro reported that the suspect, a young radicalized man, was placed under formal investigation on Sept. 26 on charges of criminal and terrorist conspiracy.

The suspect had been spotted by police after his attempt "to obtain weapons to commit violent act," it added.

On Oct. 3, a 45-year-old IT assistant expert in the intelligence service, who had been radicalized and had contact with Salafist groups, stabbed to death three police officers and one female administrative employee inside Paris police building before he was shot dead by another officer.

"Just before (that attack), there was a 60th attempted attack since 2013," the minister said.

"We live with a high terrorist risk," he acknowledged.

France has become a major target of terrorist attacks following its military operations in Syria, Iraq and the Sahel region.

A wave of attacks, claimed by the Islamic State, had broken the calm several times in France. The bloodiest terror attack took place in Paris in November 2015, when a series of explosions and shootings left 130 people killed.