According to the Prime Minister
France declares highest security level after terrorist attack near Moscow
The attack in Moscow with 137 deaths has consequences beyond Russia: France is now imposing the highest security level, said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Threats against France
The highest alert level allows for exceptional security measures such as increased patrols by the armed forces in public places such as train stations, airports and religious sites. It is declared in France when it is assumed that an attack is imminent.
The decision was made “in view of the fact that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack (to Moscow) and in view of the threats that our country is exposed to,” explained Attal. The decision was made after the Defense and Security Council convened by Head of State Emmanuel Macron on Sunday in the Élysée Palace.
Almost 140 people were killed in the terrorist attack on an event center near Moscow on Friday. A total of eleven arrests were made, including four men who were said to have been directly involved in the attack on the event center. They were arrested at the weekend in the Russian border region of Bryansk and taken to Moscow. The IS offshoot, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISPK) group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.