Over the past five years, Mr. Nuñez said, the French authorities had dismantled six extremist cells that had accumulated weapons or explosives and were plotting attacks.
The French authorities have not found “operational links” between domestic extremist groups and the United States. But French groups have drawn inspiration from other movements outside the country, including QAnon, Mr. Nuñez said.
QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory among some supporters of former President Donald J. Trump who believe a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles runs the world.
American and European officials have tracked the spread of QAnon to Europe, which intensified at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Some far-right groups in Germany, for example, began adopting QAnon theories. Mr. Nuñez said a similar phenomenon was occurring in France.
“Some individuals have been adopting the logic of QAnon,” he said. “They are thinking that the government has a hidden agenda and is operating against its own population.”
French officials have been following the developments of extremist groups in the United States, particularly after Capitol attack on Jan. 6.
“We can see their motivation is the same,” Mr. Nuñez said. “They are fighting against democracy.”
The French, like the rest of the world, are watching for signs of Al Qaeda returning to Afghanistan or the Islamic State gathering strength under the new Taliban government.