In statements to the newspaper Le Parisien, the French minister considered that the threat “is present as never before,” according to a comment made on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, an extremist act that claimed the lives of 12 people.

Last year, security forces thwarted at least nine Islamist attacks on French soil, three of them targeting the 2024 Paris Olympics, he stressed.

According to BFM TV, Retailleau sent a note to the prefects on Monday in which he indicated that mass events should be protected.

President Emmanuel Macron said at a meeting with French ambassadors on Monday that the fight against terrorism must continue to be a priority.

We know the danger that it represents for our societies, so there can be no negligence in collective surveillance, Macron warned.

jg/oda/wmr