France has raised its terror alert to the highest level following the attack on a concert hall in Moscow that left at least 137 people dead and at least 182 injured. This is just four months before the Paris Olympics.
“Following the attack in Moscow, the Defense and National Security Council was convened tonight on the Elysée by the President of the Republic,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced on X Sunday. “Given the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for this attack and the serious threat to our country, we have decided to raise our piracy posture to the highest level of attack emergency.”
France’s terror alert system declares the highest of three levels when an attack is considered imminent, either domestically or abroad. At the highest level, exceptional security measures have been granted, including increased patrols by the military in public places such as train stations, airports and religious sites, according to Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month canceled the Olympic opening ceremony, which was scheduled to be held along the Siène River in Paris in July, citing widespread concerns that Islamic extremists could target France. Politico reported that the planned capacity has already been reduced.
Kamala Harris rejects comments linking Putin and Moscow concert attack to Ukraine, says ISIS “takes full responsibility”
French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal attend the national memorial service for former Justice Minister Robert Baditel at Place Vendôme in Paris, France, on February 14, 2024. President Atal on Sunday raised the country’s terror alert level to its highest level following the attacks in Moscow. (Christian Liewig – Corbis/Getty Images)
Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said France had already launched a “jihad” campaign after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel killed Dominique Bernard, a French teacher believed to be an Islamic extremist, in the northern town of Arras. It is said that he was monitoring the “atmosphere of ideology”. 24 French newspapers reported at the time.
Darmanin, a 26-year-old Frenchman born to Iranian parents, is accused of stabbing a German tourist and seriously injuring two others in December, just a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. After prosecutors identified the suspect, the country warned that it was “permanently exposed to the threat of Islamist terrorism.” .
The suspect in the Crocus City Hall shooting sits in a courtroom at Basmany District Court on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Moscow, Russia. ((AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko)
Meanwhile, four men accused of staging the shooting spree that set off an inferno at a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow appeared in a Moscow court on terrorism charges on Sunday, showing signs of severe beatings. One person appeared barely conscious during the hearing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the four suspects were arrested as they tried to flee to Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia remained committed to the attack as the two countries entered their third year of conflict. He claimed that he was trying to shift the blame to Kiev, prompting a strong rebuke.
Saidaklami Murodari Ratchabarizoda, the suspect in Friday’s Crocus City Hall shooting, sits in a glass cage at Basmany District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko)
Officials from the Islamic State group have claimed responsibility for what is believed to be the deadliest terrorist attack on mainland Russia in years. The US government said US intelligence supports the conclusion that ISIS was responsible.
President Zelenskiy reacts to Moscow concert hall shooting, slams Putin for suggesting Ukraine was behind terrorist attack
Two of the suspects pleaded guilty to assault, but the men’s condition raised questions about whether they were speaking freely, a court statement said. There were conflicting reports in Russian media that all three or four men admitted to the crime.
Mohammadsovir Faizov, the suspect in Friday’s Crocus City Hall shooting, sits in a glass cage at Basmany District Court on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko)
Darelzon Mirzoev, 32 years old. Saidakrami Ratchabarizoda, 30 years old. Shamsiddin Fariduni, 25 years old. and Muhammad Sobir Faizov, 19, were charged with committing a terrorist attack resulting in the death of another person. This crime carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Suspect Saidakrami Murodari Ratchabarizoda, the suspect in Friday’s Crocus City Hall shooting, is escorted by police and FSB officers at Basmany District Court in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Moscow’s Basmany District Court ordered the men, all identified in the media as Tajik nationals, to be detained until May 22, pending investigation and trial.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
