Posted on 09/26/2005 12:46:27 PM PDT by visitor12
PARIS (Reuters) - Armed French anti-terrorist police detained nine Islamic militants on Monday suspected of plotting attacks in France, a judicial source said.
The dawn raids in the Yvelines and Eure regions outside Paris were carried out as Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy was about to unveil tough new anti-terrorism laws, designed as France's response to bomb attacks in London on July 7.
Police searched several premises and the suspects were taken to the headquarters of the domestic intelligence agency DST for questioning. They can be held four days, then must be placed under formal investigation by a judge or released.
Police believe the suspects are linked to Algeria's radical GSPC group. The head of the French national police said in July the group had contacted al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, about carrying out attacks in France.
Judicial officials said that, among those detained on Monday, was a 35-year-old Algerian recently freed after a 10-year jail term for his role in the 1995 attacks in France by Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, which killed 10 people.
France believes Islamic militants could strike in spite of outspoken French opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Paris shares intelligence with the United States and Britain, Washington's main military ally in Iraq.
Its troops also participate in the international force backing Afghanistan's fragile government against Islamic rebels.
TOUGHER JAIL SENTENCES
The DST says six Frenchmen have died fighting on the side of insurgents in Iraq. Ten other French nationals believed to be still fighting with the rebels could pose an acute threat if they return to France, security chiefs say.
Sarkozy was due to unveil tougher anti-terror laws as part of a drive to beef up security in response to the London bomb attacks, in which more than 50 people were killed.
New measures include increased use of closed circuit television surveillance and a law to force Internet cafes and mobile phone operators to keep records, probably for a year.
The mobile phone and Internet measures will be covered by a three-year time limit, the newspaper Le Figaro reported, and will need parliamentary approval to stay in force after 2008.
Separately, the Justice Ministry wants to impose tougher jail sentences for those convicted of playing secondary roles in terrorist plots. It is also considering extending by two days to six the period suspects can be questioned by police.
"France believes Islamic militants could strike in spite of outspoken French opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Paris shares intelligence with the United States and Britain, Washington's main military ally in Iraq."
Their intelligence services aren't completely ball-less and willfully ignorant like their political whores.
This is France. In 4 days, the french will be so wigged out they'll release 'em.
unfortunetely for the French, 9 down, over 5 million to go.
Sarkozy is actually much more of a hard-liner and could be the next president of France.
Someone like him would a welcome change from De Gaullist dinosaurs like Chirac.
chirac is the most right wing leader France has had for some time. i think electing Sarkozy would be as bad as electing Le Pen
Le Pen got a lot of support because he was at least addressing issues the French people want sorting out - like immigration. But Sarko and Le Pen are very different animals. I don't think Le Pen was a fiscal conservative, nor was he Pro-American.
As I recall, the French managed to arrest a few German spies and saboteurs- just before the Blitz.
Al Zarqawi's tanks will be rolling through Paris before the French Parliament decides on an appropriate military response.
>Frogs.. .are outnumbered<
Good Lord. Who by?
If you actually read up on the subject, you'll see that the French anti-terror measures and the police are not "wimpy" at all.
BTW, I applaud your use of non-PC language like "Frogs". I expect you say "Japs" and "Krauts" too?
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