PARIS: A top French security official says two French citizens have been arrested in Pakistan, where authorities have linked them to a top suspected al-Qaida militant over the 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali.

A Pakistani intelligence official says the suspected French militants including one with family ties to Pakistan were arrested in connection with the Jan. 25 arrest of al Qaida-linked militant Umar Patek of Indonesia.

The Pakistani official said the two French suspects had intended to travel with Patek to Pakistan’s North Waziristan region, where al-Qaida’s top command is based.

A French counterterrorism official confirmed the arrests Thursday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.