Paris - French police have arrested a man in the southern city of Montpellier in regard to death threats sent to President Nicolas Sarkozy and several other conservative officials in recent days, France Info radio reported on Tuesday, citing police sources.

The arrest came after Sarkozy, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, Justice Minister Rachida Dati, Culture Minister Christine Albanel and the mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppe, all received letters containing implicit threats to their lives and 9mm bullets.

The suspect was not immediately identified. Alliot-Marie described him as being "a little bit deranged," France Info said.

The letter to Juppe, a former prime minister, contained the message: "You believe that you control our lives, but no, it is we who control yours and those of your families." (dpa)