French gov't slams newspaper for leaking information on blackmail case

Xinhuanet ^ | 3-3-04

[Indy Pendance]

PARIS, March 3 (Xinhuanet) -- French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday criticized the regional Daily La Depeche du Midifor what he called "irresponsible" act to report that the French government was being blackmailed by a terrorist group AZF.

While expressing appreciation to other media for keeping the information a secret, Sarkozy held the daily responsible for unveiling the news early on Wednesday despite the ministry's demand conveyed in a statement to newspaper and broadcast editors Tuesday evening for their "confidentiality" and sense of responsibility.

The French government has received at least six letters to President Jacques Chirac and Sarkozy since December from a previously unknown group which identified itself as AZF. One of the letters warned that at least 10 bombs had been planted in different railways and timed to explode on different dates unless a ransom of some 4 million euros is paid, confirmed the French interior ministry.

"These supposed terrorists are asking us to hand over a sum ofmoney, around 4 million euros," Michel Gaudin, general director ofthe national police, told LCI television.

One bomb has been found on Feb. 21 on the railway line Paris-Toulouse, said the French interior ministry, adding that tests conducted later on indicated the dangerous as it was powerful enough to have smashed the track.

"I do not think this is a group linked to Islamic radicalism," Gaudin said, rejecting also the allegation that the group has links with Chechen terrorist movement.

However members of French parliament would not treat it lightly."We take the matter seriously, especially it came exactly at the moment when (Ayman) Al-Zawahiri, number 2 of Al Qaeda, threatened France after the approval of the law bill on the Islamic headscarf," said Alain Marsaud, former anti-terrorist judge who directs the work group studying civil security and defense at the National Assembly. But he did not exclude the possibility of a simple extortion.

France's National Assembly, Lower House of the parliament, adopted Feb. 10 a controversial law bill that bans the Islamic headscarf and other religious signs in state schools to assert theprinciple of secularism.

According to some interior ministry officials, an attempt to pay the ransom was failed because of confusion on the location indicated by the blackmailers on Monday afternoon.

The concerned Daily La Depeche du Midi said it was under no obligation to obey the orders of the interior ministry.

The daily's editor-in-chief Jean-Christophe Giesbert confirmedthat the ministry had been putting pressure on the paper, "but we didn't yield," he told the local press.

AZF is only known as the name of a chemical factory that exploded in Toulouse in September 2001, killing 30 people and injuring around 1,000 others.

[cripplecreek]

It sure would be nice if that paper were to "leak" the information about the govt officials who received bribes from saddam hussein.

[Cicero]

It's a tricky business, but in this case I tend to agree with the news reporters. It's not healthy to keep blackmail and extortion by terrorists secret past a certain point. For a while, yes, but not indefinitely.

It's obvious that the French government is terrified of offending France's Muslim extremists.

[xJones]

May I be the first? France will now surrender to AZF, even though they don't know who/what that is.

[Cboldt]

According to some interior ministry officials, an attempt to pay the ransom was failed because of confusion on the location indicated by the blackmailers on Monday afternoon.

Amazing. They plan to pay? Why don't they get the authorities involved?

Although, I have to admit, this does cause a ponder of the ethics of pay vs. not, when subjected to credible threats under blackmail. Knocking out trains is likely to cause death.

[Bonaparte]

Since when has france cared about deaths? They just let thousands of their elderly die of heat stroke while they vacationed on the riviera.

[longjack]

An article about this in "Spiegel" says thousands of rail workers have been ordered to inspect the main lines on foot.That should be finished tomorrow afternoon

Nice job, non? I hope they have hearing protection.

Al-Zwarhiri did recently threaten France in retailiation for the head-scarf ban.

AZF, which the group calls themselves, was the name of a chemical plant in Toulouse that exploded in 2001, killing 30.

longjack

[Mrs Zip]

ping

[nathanbedford]

It's obvious that the French government is terrified of offending France's Muslim extremists.

You mean much like the American government is terrified of offending America's Hispanic immigrants?

[Bonaparte]

Thanks for the update and backgrounder, longjack. When france gets hit, it will be a pleasure to ask them what they did to make the terrorists mad and advise them to seek a remedy only through the UN and only with American, British, Australian, Polish, Spanish and Italian approval. Gotta be multilateral here, dontcha know.