Paris Raids Stop Planned Terror Attack

A planned terrorist attack was reportedly foiled by police raids conducted in Paris. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve of France revealed at a press conference that the authorities are conducting operations in Argenteuil, a suburb located in the northwestern portion of Paris.

He said a French national was arrested in one of the raids. Cazeneuve added that the suspect was already in an advance stage in the planning of a terror attack when his home was raided by the police. The raid on the home was continued by the police on Thursday.

Cazeneuve also said the arrest resulted from thorough investigation that was carried out for several weeks using significant technical and physical surveillance resources. He added that it required continuous and close cooperation among the different security services within Europe.

Cazeneuve continued that the raids show the dynamism of the anti-terrorism services in Europe. He added that around seventy-five individuals with connections to terrorist activities have been arrested in France since the start of the year. Cazeneuve added that the arrests also resulted to charges to thirty-seven people and detention of twenty-eight others.

Paris Raids Stop Planned Terror Attack - image credit: metro.co.uk

The French Interior Minister also said the man arrested in a recent raid by authorities is a part of a terrorist network that is preparing for attacks against France.

Aside from police officers, bomb disposal experts were present during the raids to ensure any searches by the police are conducted under “optimal conditions.”

The raids in a suburb in Paris come two days after Brussels can under attack that left thirty-one people dead and hundreds were injured. The two attacks were claimed by ISIS. The first attack was at the Departures Hall of the Brussels Zaventem Airport and the Maalbeek Metro Station. The metro station is close to the European Union headquarters.

The attacks were described by Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium as violent, cowardly and blind.

Posted by James Fried on Friday March 25 2016, 11:42 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Uncategorized. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0