French Police "Al-Qaeda Obtains Intelligence Ordering Attacks on Christian Churches"
Focus on Connection to Nice Terror
French President Macron "Will Not Succumb to Terror"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Islamic extremist militant group Al-Qaeda is reported to have recently incited attacks on Christian churches in France. Attention is focused on whether Al-Qaeda was connected to the background of the terror attack at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Nice, France.
On the 29th (local time), according to the US Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the French Ministry of the Interior obtained intelligence on unusual activities of Al-Qaeda over the past weekend and instructed nationwide police to strengthen vigilance. The official document received by the French police included orders for Muslims in France to individually carry out jihad (Islamic holy war).
Al-Qaeda specifically instructed targeting Christian churches such as cathedrals, and to use vehicles to charge into crowds or use weapons like knives. Coincidentally, on the same day, a beheading terror attack using a knife occurred at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Nice, drawing attention to the possibility of a connection with Al-Qaeda’s orders.
Graim Ausawi, who came to France via Italy from Tunisia, killed three people at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Nice on that day. Immediately after the killings, he shouted "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is great" in Arabic, at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the resort city of Nice. Because of this, French investigative authorities suspect the possibility that Ausawi’s terror act is linked to Islamic extremism.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the terror attack that occurred in Nice.
After an Islamic extremist beheaded a teacher who introduced caricatures satirizing the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a class in France, the country has faced external threats from Islamic states and internal threats of terrorism.
In particular, President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of freedom of expression, stating that the laws of the republic must take precedence over cultural or religious laws. Since then, there has been strong backlash from the Islamic world.
Regarding this terror attack, President Macron said, "France has once again been attacked by Islamic terrorists," but added, "We will never yield." He stated, "There is only one community in France, and that is the national community," and emphasized, "At this time, we must unite and not succumb to the spirit of terror and division."
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