France: Five radical Islamic terror attacks already foiled in 2019
After the arrest of four radical Islamic terrorists last week, French security forces have now prevented five radical Islamic terror attacks in just the first four months of 2019. For example, In March, authorities arrested two 20-year-old men thought to be planning to massacre and take hostage kindergartners and school staff, and then attack police officers arriving at the scene.
According to a report by the news outlet France Soir, the four Islamists who were arrested remain in police custody and are alleged to have been planning to murder French police officers. One member of the cell – who isn’t even 18 years-old – was previously arrested by French authorities for attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria.
Those investigating the case assert that the four men had already produced plans for a number of attacks that were supposed to take place sometime during next month’s holy month of Ramadan.
In the month of April, authorities arrested a 16-year-old on suspicion after investigators found ‘tutorials detailing methods of terrorist action’ inside of his home along with pro-jihadist propaganda videos and internet searches for specific officials in France’s domestic intelligence service.
At this rate, the number of foiled terror plots in the country in 2019 may easily eclipse the number of instances last year.
In October last year, Frances Interior Minister Christophe Castaner declared that no less than five serious terror plots had been thwarted by French authorities at the point in time, according to Le Journal du Dimanche.
This latest plot accompanies four others which have all been stopped thanks to French police work in the first four months of the year. In March, authorities arrested two 20-year-old men thought to be planning to massacre and take hostage kindergartners and school staff, and then attack police officers arriving at the scene.
While the plots that were prevented this year mainly looked to target police officers, children, and others, large scale terror plans have been explained by French citizen and ISIS detainee Jonathan Geffroy.
In 2018, Geffroy told French authorities that the top French Islamic State members, the Clain brothers, had planned to attack a nuclear power plant and carry out mass shootings.
Both of the Clain brothers – Fabien and Jean-Michael – have been killed in the Middle East since Geffroy gave his testimony.
Source: voiceofeurope.com