An arsenal of weapons has been discovered by French police after arresting suspects who are thought to belong to a neo-Nazi group in the eastern Alsace region.

It took about 200 officers to detain four men at their homes on Tuesday near Mulhouse. French intelligence agencies determined the men took part in a supposed “Jew Hunt” during a soccer game.

18 legal guns and 23 illegal guns were found as well as 167 magazines, 66lbs of gunpowder, and materials for making explosives. The bullet equivalent found amounts to nearly 120,000 cartridges.

French intelligence had stepped up surveillance of the group in line with the increase of antisemitic incidents in recent years. President Emmanuel Macron has most notably visited a vandalized Jewish Cemetery in Alsace in 2019 which from then on added a bitter taste in the mouths of french neo-Nazis.

There has been no determination of if the men were planning an attack. However, holocaust-denial works and antisemitic works were found on a computer at the scene which is now being analyzed for more information.

Bullet-making equipment was made along with €25,000 in cash.

The men have been charged with arms trafficking and are expected to face up to 10 years in prison.