France raises terror alert over Al Qaeda threat
May 22nd, 2011 - 3:26 pm ICT by IANSLondon, May 22 (IANS) France Sunday raised its terror alert amid fears of suicide bomb plots against the Paris transport network, a media report said.
The Daily Telegraph said the French intelligence services are looking for a female would-be suicide bomber who they believe could be planning to target the Paris Metro.
The alert followed a tip-off from a intelligence agency, thought to be Algeria’s, warning of an imminent Al Qaeda threat, the newspaper said.
In a separate development armed guards were deployed to protect prominent Islamic moderate Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris mosque, it said.
“The terrorist threat is real and today our vigilance, therefore, is reinforced,” the Telegraph quoted Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux, as saying.
Security services identified two Islamist sleeper cells with financial means that were recently “woken up” in France after the arrival of several Islamic radicals from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the report said quoting police.
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