France warns Europe of more attacks

PARIS (AVRUPA TIMES) More terrorist attacks are to follow in France and Europe, warned French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday, just two days after a wave of deadly violence which killed 132 people in Paris.

Valls has warned that new outrages are being planned in Syria by Daesh.

Speaking to France’s RTL radio, Valls said: "We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too.”

Valls added the terrorists had launched an attack specifically targeted at young people enjoying a rock concert, eating and drinking in bars and restaurants and outside the Stade de France stadium.

"Once again, the terrorists have attacked France, the French people, young people. Many young people are dead.

"Just a few months ago... I said this generation would live with the threat of terrorism for a long time, and I was criticized, as if I wanted people to be scared," Valls said.

He defended his comments, saying he did not mean to scare people but just to put them in frame of what is happening.

"No. We must live, live fully, live, but live with the threat of terrorism, to fight together," Valls said.

 Arrests made, manhunt continues

Valls said more than 150 raids had been conducted across the country.

"We are making use of the legal framework of the state of emergency to question people who are part of the radical jihadist movement... and all those who advocate hate of the republic," Valls said.

Overnight, police carried out several raids in Toulouse, Grenoble, Jeumont and the Paris suburb of Bobigny, under the state of emergency declared by President Francois Hollande.

At least one arrest, in Bobigny, is reported to be directly linked to the Paris attacks and weapons were reportedly seized in several searches.

Meanwhile, French police are continuing a manhunt for one of three brothers involved in the attacks.

Police issued an arrest warrant for a man identified as Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national, born in Belgium, suspected of being involved in the Paris attacks.

According to the French authorities, one of his two brothers died in the attacks [a suicide bomber]; the second is in custody in Belgium.

On Sunday evening, three terror suspects were officially identified by French police as Salah Abdeslam, who is on the run, his brother Ibrahim Abdeslam, believed to be one of the suicide bombers and Omar Ismail Mostefai.

Mostefai, 29, was identified earlier by French media. He is also one of the suicide attackers. Six members of his family, including his brother, father and sister-in-law, are in police custody in France.

 Air strikes in Syria

Overnight, French warplanes hit the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa, northern Syria as part of its ‘Chammal’ operation [the name of the French military strikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq].

President Hollande said Friday’s attacks were carried out by members of the Daesh terrorist organization, which later reportedly claimed responsibility.

The French defense ministry said Sunday that 10 warplanes attacked Daesh positions in Raqqa with 20 bombs. The ministry said that a joint operation with U.S. forces hit a Daesh command center, training camps and ammunitions depots.

 Historic address

In a rare move, President Hollande will address both houses of parliament – the Senate and the National Assembly – at Versailles on Monday, around 4pm local time [1500 GMT].

This will be the third time a French president has called for such a meeting since 1848 when Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte addressed parliament. The most recent occasion was in 2009, when Nicolas Sarkozy reunited parliament to speak about the financial crisis.

Hollande is expected to announce a series of security measures following the Paris attacks, including filing a bill to extend the state of emergency for another three months.

The bill needs to be examined by parliament, which must, under the Constitution, validate any extension of the state of emergency beyond 12 days.

Hollande said he will ask the laws commissions of both houses to modify stat-of-emergency legislation, to adapt it to the situation after the attacks.

France will witness a nationwide moment of silence at noon on Monday to remember the victims of the attack.

The Nov. 13 Paris killings are said to be the worst on European soil since the Madrid train bombings of 2004, in which 191 died.