The level terror attack threat in France has been increased to its highest point over the weekend, in response to a horrendous terrorist attack on a packed concert venue in Russia last Friday. The attack took place at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, where several heavily-armed gunmen opened fire inside a crowded music venue, resulting in the loss of 137 lives and the subsequent inferno in the building.
ISIS-K – The Islamic State – Khorasan Province is a regional branch of the Islamic State terrorist group active in South-Central Asia, primarily Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for the massacre, but Moscow has yet to confirm the group’s involvement, even though Russia’s autocrat Putin announced that all the terrorists were “apprehended as they tried to escape in a vehicle.”
On Sunday, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stated in his X (formerly Twitter) post that in response to the Moscow attack, France’s National Defense and Security Council held a meeting this evening.
“In light of the Islamic State’s claim that it was responsible for the attack, and the threats looming over our country, we have decided to raise the Vigipirate plan to the highest level,” Gabriel Attal wrote.
France uses a three-tiered system for its terror alert, with the most severe level being triggered in response to an attack either within or outside the country, or when there is an imminent threat. At this level, extraordinary security measures are implemented, including increased armed forces presence in public areas such as train stations, airports, and religious sites.
France has been living under reinforced security measures since a wave of terrorist attacks in January 2015, when a group of Islamists killed 17 people in Paris and its suburbs. The government responded by enacting Operation Sentinel, which saw the deployment of armed soldiers to patrol the capital. In November of that year, France saw its deadliest Islamist attacks in recent memory, when suicide bombers and gunmen killed 130 people in Paris.
Since January 2015, France has implemented heightened security measures following a series of terrorist attacks. In Paris and its suburbs, a group of Islamists carried out attacks resulting in the deaths of 17 people. In response, the government introduced Operation Sentinel, deploying armed soldiers to patrol the capital.
Later that year, France experienced its most deadly Islamist attacks to date, with 130 people losing their lives in Paris due to suicide bombers and gunmen.
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