Oktober 18, 2010

France receives terrorist attack warning



October 18, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Saudi Arabia special services warned Paris that Al-Qaeda may be plotting a terrorist attack in France, the BBC said on Monday citing French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux.

The minister said in a joint radio and TV interview that Saudi intelligence agencies warned French authorities of a terrorist threat to Europe, and "France in particular."

"I can tell you - and it's not information that's been made public yet - that even a few hours, a few days ago, [we received] a new message, from the Saudi [intelligence] services, indicating to us that Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula was certainly active, or expecting to be active," the minister said.

Sky News reported in late September, citing intelligence sources, that Al Qaeda was plotting simultaneous attacks on London and large cities in France and Germany, similar to the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, which left 166 people dead.

In early October the U.S. Department of State warned its citizens of potential terrorist attacks in Western Europe.

MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti)