ISIS may launch chemical warfare on France: French PM
Islamic State may launch a bacterial or nuclear attack on France, warned French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
Valls said this in a speech addressed to national lawmakers during a debate on whether France should extend the state of emergency.
“We must not rule anything out,” Press TV quoted the French PM as saying. “I say it with all the precautions needed. But we know and bear in mind that there is also a risk of chemical or bacteriological weapons.”
The French government declared a state of emergency in the country after a number of attacks Nov. 13 that killed 129 people and left around 350 wounded. The French PM presented a bill to the parliament for the extension of the state of emergency for three more months.
"Terrorism hit France, not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria ... but for what it is," Valls said.
French authorities are verifying if Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the prime suspect behind the Friday attacks, was killed in the raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Officers got information that the Belgian suspect was hiding in an apartment in the location. The Independent reported the raid eventually killed two while seven people were taken into custody.
According to prosecutor Francois Molins, the identities of the people killed in the raid are still under investigation. The deceased include a female suicide bomber. However, neither Salah Abdeslam, the said architect of the attacks, nor Abaaoud was among the people arrested during the raid.
Valls earlier declared on Twitter that radical mosques had been closed. In addition, there are house arrests and raids to counter the threat.
Face à la menace, nous rendons l'état d'urgence plus efficace : assignations à résidence, perquisitions, fermeture des mosquées radicales.
— Manuel Valls (@manuelvalls) November 19, 2015Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.
