Gabriel Attal announced, this Monday, March 25, that “exceptional resources” would be deployed “everywhere on the territory”, with “4,000 additional soldiers” placed “on alert”, after the attack in Moscow claimed by the jihadist group State Islamic.
“The Islamist terrorist threat is real, it is strong” and “it has never weakened”, said the Prime Minister during a visit to Saint-Lazare station, in Paris, after the raising of the Vigipirate system to its maximum level. He said two planned attacks had been “foiled” in France since the start of the year.
A meeting organized by the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security, placed under its authority, was held at noon to decide on the measures to be taken, as after each change of posture of the Vigipirate plan. When France moved to this same “emergency attack” alert level after the murder of teacher Dominique Bernard in Arras by a radicalized former student, up to 7,000 soldiers from the Sentinel force were deployed in the territory. The Vigipirate plan was then downgraded to level 2 (“reinforced security – risk of attack”) in January before being raised again on Sunday evening.
Nearly 130 middle and high schools targeted by threats since last week
The branch of the Islamic State jihadist group “involved” in the attack which left 137 dead in Moscow “had carried out several attempts in recent months” in France, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday morning.
Furthermore, nearly 130 middle and high schools have been targeted since last week by threats of attack via digital work spaces (ENT), in Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France and the Grand region. East, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. Security conditions were reinforced in several of these establishments on Monday.