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July 13, 2024 - 2:00pm
In a couple of weeks, an estimated 15 million tourists will visit Paris for the upcoming Olympic Games. Around 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete for sporting glory. But there are growing security concerns over the threat posed by Islamist extremists due to a massive surge in recent days of Islamic State (IS) propaganda about attacking stadiums.
Not only that, a worrying increase in the number of terrorist plots foiled by the French security services has prompted the country to bolster police and military presence in major cities. At least 45,000 security forces personnel and around 40,000 police officers and gendarmes will be providing security at the games. France has even requested anti-air systems from Greece due to Isis urging its fighters and supporters to use drones.
Paris is a city haunted by the memory of terror attacks. In January 2015, Islamists attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 11 people including editor Stéphane (“Charb”) Charbonnier. This was followed by several attacks over the next 48 hours killing six people. On 13 November 2015, at least 130 people were killed and more than 350 were injured in a string of Islamist attacks, notably at the Stade de France and the Bataclan theatre.
As the Olympics is a truly global event, it is no surprise that it would be a target. Experts worry specifically about Isis-K, the splinter branch that carried out the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow back in March which killed 145 people. Soon after this attack, Isis-K circulated an image reading: “After Moscow… Who is next?” and listed Paris, Rome, Madrid, and London as possible targets. This is significant as Isis-K has carried out all three of IS’s external operations in 2024, which tend to produce much higher casualty counts. Specifically, pro-IS media outlets have urged Islamists to strike Olympic events and crowds with drones, knives, guns, explosives, and molotov cocktails.
After the Moscow attack, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that Isis-K had attempted two attacks on French soil in previous months. Just a few days ago, French police thwarted a double suicide bomb plot targeting the games. Earlier, in May, a jihadist communicating with IS was apprehended in Saint-Étienne for plotting an attack during a football match at the games. The terrorist said he wanted to murder innocent spectators and then “die and become a martyr”. This sentiment was echoed by a 16-year-old extremist who posted on social media that he wanted to detonate an explosive belt at the Paris games and “die a martyr”.
France has been a priority target of Isis since the group’s foundation in 2013. In September 2014, IS Spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani placed the country as a top target on a par with America, saying: “America, France, and their allies transgressed against us.” He went on: “If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and dirty French — kill him in any manner or way.” The organisation’s propaganda cites France’s colonial history and recent military activities against jihadists in Africa, its intervention in Iraq and Syria against IS, and various other French military operations targeting Islamic terror both domestically and internationally.
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SubscribeExpel muslim extremists from Europe.
Exactly. Not that hard to figure out.
There is no other kind.
What the heck kind of sadist could downvote this comment? Do some people really like living with the threat of terrorist death hanging over everyone’s heads?
I can only infer the downvoters just don’t pay extremist Muslims the respect of believing what they say or why.
Perhaps I was downvoted for stating the obvious. Or because they know that according to surveying that 75% of EU Muslims hold extremist views.
But there are growing security concerns over the threat posed by Islamist extremists due to a massive surge in recent days of Islamic State (IS) propaganda about attacking stadiums
Can’t those fundamentalist ding-dongs do anything right? The whole point of being a terrorist is you don’t have to follow the laws of war; you don’t have to phone up your target and tell them you’re about to bomb them. You retain the element of surprise. Now you’ve made it ten times harder for yourselves to attack the Olympics. Isn’t anybody competent at anything these days?
The threat causes economic damage and anxiety. The threat itself is an assault even if no attack is intended.
I think Hippie’s point is that if you rely too much on threats without action then they lose their effectiveness and shock and surprise can be vastly more unsettling to a targeted population.
While they are at it, they could tell everyone what they actually want. Whatever was the point of the previous attacks. What agenda or strategic purpose did they actually serve?
Irrespective of any immediate reasoning they give, IS wants a worldwide caliphate (or in practical terms they mean Europe). One only has to read some of the incredibly weak articles on this website about the difficulty of confronting Islamism to see that Britain’s extreme version of communitarian multiculturalism provides them with a wide open door! And anyone who dares raise even the most hesitant caution with regard to Islamism is silenced because they must by definition be a fascist.
Sadly, I’ve learned that all practising Muslims want a worldwide caliphate – the Ummah – & it’s their holy mission to achieve this in any way possible: from policies like those of the current mayor of London to the barbarism of Hamas.
Caliphate Europa.
Apparently the purpose of terrorism is simply to create terror. And if the perps believe that they’ll be rewarded in dying for their actions, all the better. It’s horribly screwed up.
Sorry, but the answer is obvious. Since they have plenty of young and not so young idiots at their disposal, someone will succeed and they will have another chance to trumpet to the whole world that they are omnipotent. They are omnipotent only if there are a crowd of lawyers, human rights fighters, cowardly politicians. So you/we can only be afraid or not, your choice. As long as politicians like Le Pen are called fascists, you are deprived of even this choice.
They aren’t really giving anything away, coming out with a statement like “Who is next – Paris, Rome, Madrid or London?” leaves such a generalized threat (which we were already aware of) that it might mean anywhere in western Europe.
‘IS views France’s large Muslim population as an opportunity to continue growing its support among extremist elements within these diaspora communities.’
And I always was told the threat to France was from Marine le Pen!
European Intelligence and Defence agencies need to be more proactive on home soil to take the war to ISIS and other Islamic terror organisations. This should involve up to and including lethal force. The threat needs to be removed, not merely contained.
Indeed ! Now that the “Brown Plague” has been neutralized, the “Antifa” brigade and its affiliates are now ready to greet the “Red and Green Cholera”!
Ok, but what about the FAR RIGHT?!?!?!
They are busy keeping order.
Nah, all intelligent people know that the real threat comes from the far right.
Irony?
This is the expected result of allowing Muslims to move into a western nation. Any youth whose career is not working out has an escape. He can become a martyr and get 72 virgins in paradise. All he has to do is commit suicide by cop and kill some non-Muslims. He is assured of Paradice by the Koran. It’s clear in their theology.
But who funds ISIS K ?