While often accused of kowtowing to Islamist regimes overseas, the French do not equivocate when defending their home turf. Their latest success came yesterday, when French police — acting on a tip from Algeria authorities — arrested 9 men who were apparently planning terrorist attacks against the Paris metro and the headquarters of the French internal security agency, according to MSNBC: (thanks to Jeff)
Authorities fear that a suspected Islamic terror cell broken up in France was plotting attacks on the Paris subway, an airport and an intelligence agency’s headquarters, newspapers said Tuesday.
Police arrested nine people Monday in the sweep, including an Islamic militant previously convicted on terrorism charges and freed from prison two years ago, officials said.
Le Figaro and Le Parisien newspapers said the alleged cell’s suspected targets included the Metro, a Paris airport and the Paris headquarters of the Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, or DST, a police intelligence and counterterrorism agency.
DST agents launched the raid after receiving a confidential note from Algerian authorities summarizing the questioning of a suspect arrested Sept. 9 in Algiers, the Algerian capital, Le Parisien said.
The suspect, identified by the newspaper only as “M.B.,” was an alleged group member who indicated that the attacks were being planned in France, the report said. His wife was among the nine arrested.