An ISIS video, released on the night of March 28, calls for attacks on Christians just days before the religious holiday of Easter.
A 40-minute audio message from ISIS spokesperson Aboe Hoedhayfah Al-Ansari, broadcast during the night from Thursday to Friday and authenticated by the specialized site Site, took the terrorist threat up a notch. After again claiming responsibility for the Moscow attack, he called on “lone wolves” to target Christians and Jews in Europe, the United States, Jerusalem and Palestine. He assures that new attacks will take place all over the world.
He also incited attacks on the Syrian Al-Hol prison camp where relatives of jihadists from the terrorist group reside. The Islamic State spokesperson also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the Islamic State caliphate. In 2014, ISIS took control in Syria and Iraq but has since lost a large part of these territories although it remains active there.
This message appears very worrying a few days before the religious festival of Easter. If France has already raised the alert level of the Vigipirate plan to the “emergency attack” level since the attack in Moscow, Gérald Darmanin asked the prefects to deploy more police in front of all Catholic churches and Protestant temples , especially during services this weekend, reported Le Figaro.
To ensure security during the Easter weekend, the minister particularly insisted on “visual control” of people around places of worship to “detect suspicious individuals”. The police also have the mission of monitoring “vehicles parked” near religious buildings.
“On the most sensitive locations, resources must be deployed in coordination with the forces of Operation Sentinel”, specialized in the terrorist threat, even specified Gérald Darmanin in his note to the prefects. Two planned attacks have been foiled in France since the start of the year, one of which targeted a Catholic religious building.
