"The Russian Consulate General in Marseille has been notified about the arrest on January 19 of Zalimkhan Ismailov, who resided in the French town of Beziers," the ministry said in a statement.
"Zalikhmanov has been accused of involvement in a plot to carry out a terrorist act," the statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the BFMTV channel reported, referencing the French prosecutor Yvon Calvet, that five Russian nationals had been arrested in France. According to French media, the suspects are aged between 24 and 37 and originate from the North Caucasus region.
The Chief of Police for the city of Montpelier said that one of the suspects had "extremely dangerous explosives that could have caused serious damage."
The French police official said, however, that according to preliminary information the detained were not linked to any extremist organizations and there was absolutely no certainty as to whether these people had in fact been plotting a terrorist attack.
Currently the suspects remain in custody in Beziers and are being questioned by police.
France has been on high alert since the beginning of 2015, when a series of terrorist attacks in Paris claimed the lives of 17 people, including three policemen.
