March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Paris police have detained three suspects in the course of their investigation into threats by the previously unknown ``AZF'' group to bomb French railroads, RTL radio reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

Yesterday, repeating a demand for about $6 million, AZF said it was ending its bomb threats in France temporarily, according to a letter released by the French Interior Ministry. The group said the suspension would allow it to address ``technological, logistic and other shortcomings.''

The name AZF recalls the September 2001 blast at a chemicals factory of the same name in Toulouse, southwest France, in which 30 people died. An investigation is still open into the cause of the explosion at the factory, owned by the chemicals unit of Total SA. It initially was thought to be the result of an accident.

The explosion occurred 10 days after the terrorist attack in the U.S. that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and part of the Pentagon outside Washington.

See http://www.rtl.fr for the RTL Web site.

(RTL, 3-26)

Last Updated: March 26, 2004 06:58 EST