Ammunition was also recovered from the car, Le Parisien reported.
The 25-year-old male was reportedly known to police for abusing his female partner, who was arrested alongside him.
He was not permitted to contact her, according to reports.
According to La Provence newspaper, the man was known for petty crimes and did not have known connections to Islamist extremist groups.
An investigation into the suspects been handed to the Marseille judicial police.
Their arrests came as five people were questioned by police in Paris, following the discovery of a primed bomb at an apartment bloc in Paris.
The men in their thirties, were reportedly known to authorities and one is on an intelligence services list of "radicalised" people, which features the names of potential Islamist militants.
The explosive device was made up of two gas canisters connected with wires to a mobile phone, judicial sources said.
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