French security officials warn of unprecedented terror threats
Europe, News March 24, 2015 No Comments on French security officials warn of unprecedented terror threatsFrench security officials have reportedly warned of more terrorist attacks by ISIS-linked elements in the country, saying terrorist threats have climbed to “a level without precedent”.
“Not one day goes by without an alert, the discovery of a network trying to send people to Syria or Iraq, or an intervention (by the security services),” a high-level official of France’s defense ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday.
French counter-terrorism authorities further described the threat as “permanent.”
At the moment, there are nearly 4,000 elements “identified or suspected of evil intentions” in France, who include highly-educated individuals described as “pros, not drop-outs”.
The report further cited “another unnamed counter-terrorist official” as stating that the biggest source of France’s concerns is the 200 former Takfiris who have returned to the country after engaging in foreign-backed military operations against the governments of Iraq and Syria.
Those individuals, he explained, are particularly dangerous as “they have lost all inhibitions about violence.”
He further emphasized that French security services are forced to “play catch-up” with the terrorists since they “use the best encryption and concealment techniques.”
“Every time we get our hands on a network, we see they are each using seven or eight SIM cards, changing them constantly. And the most cunning don’t go near phones at all – they use messengers,” he added.
Meanwhile, there were fears that competition between various terror groups may lead to further violence across France.
“Al-Qaeda needs to restore its prestige and will try to compete with IS with complex and major actions,” added the official, pointing to major concerns that an al-Qaeda wing, known as Khorasan, was allegedly planning an attack on a major airline.
ISIL “is in the process of training commandos and sending them to our territory with high-quality equipment,” the source sad.
MFB/NT
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