The terrorist risk has just gone up a notch in France. In a note dated last Wednesday, which
Le Figaro
obtained, the Ministry of the Interior calls on the bosses of the police and the gendarmerie as well as the prefects to "
take measures of vigilance specific to the terrorist threat for them. months of July and August 2021
”. Signed by Pierre de Bousquet, director of cabinet of the Ministry of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, the telegram reveals that "
the media company of the command of Al Qaida, As-Sahab, broadcast on July 15, 2021 a video in Arabic, and under titled in English, with an important dissemination potential, devoted in its entirety to condemning the blasphemy embodied by the cartoons of Muhammad
”.
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The document, unveiled by Europe 1, warns: "
France, considered as the bridgehead of the West's alleged '' war '' against Islam, is vilified throughout the video
."
"
The President of the Republic and the Minister of the Interior are explicitly targeted and targeted
", continues the note which raises the alarm signal: "
the presidential speech of October 2 and the bill reinforcing respect for the principles of the Republic are amply contested
”.
Of
"
anathemas which stimulate endogenous threat
"
“I would
like to draw your attention to the virulence of this message - like those of fall 2020, calling for action against our interests.
This in particular within the framework of the partial resumption of economic and cultural activities during the two summer months
”, warns Prefect Pierre de Bousquet, former intelligence coordinator at the Elysee.
"
Particular vigilance must be brought to these anathemas in that they stimulate the endogenous threat
", insists this connoisseur of the terrorist threat, who recalls, if necessary, that "
the exploitation of the last three attacks, by this propaganda , since September 2020, is the proof
”.
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Finally, as if that were not enough, Beauvau's note recalls that the threat is likely to grow even stronger due to exceptional legal news: “
As in September 2020, September 2021 will be the occasion of a trial with strong media coverage with the opening on September 8 in Paris of that of the attacks of November 13, 2015
”.
Detection action until September
Throughout the summer, and especially as the September deadline approaches, the prefects are therefore encouraged to maintain a “
high level
”
vigilance
through “
actions to detect exogenous and endogenous threats based on weekly meetings of the GED (Editor's note: Departmental assessment groups) and regular CPRAF (Editor's note: cells for the prevention of radicalization and support for families)
”
In addition, the prefects must without delay carry out an "
action to analyze the threat and to secure the various events bringing together the population in line with the Vigipirate posture" enhanced security, risk of attack
"".
New "
special instructions
" should be released for the start of the school year as part of the extraordinary trial of the perpetrators of the November 13 attacks (131 dead and 413 wounded), of which Salah Abdeslam is the only survivor.
"
The threat remains very significantly high
" whispered in early July a head of intelligence.
In 18 months, France has been the scene of seven Islamist attacks, six in 2020 and the last, perpetrated on April 23 at the Rambouillet police station.
"
A fairly sustained pace
", we note, knowing that five violent actions were foiled in the same period.