FRANCE RAISES TERROR ALERT WARNING TO HIGHEST LEVEL AFTER MOSCOW CONCERT HALL ATTACK

Mon 25 March 2024:

France on Sunday (Mar 24) announced that it will be escalating its terror alert warning to the highest level. This decision, as per Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, has been taken in response to the recent shootings in Moscow.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Attal stated that the move, which comes just months before Paris is set to host the Olympic Games, was made “in light of the Islamic State’s claiming responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats weighing on our country”.

À la suite de l’attentat de Moscou, un Conseil de Défense et de Sécurité nationale a été réuni ce soir à l’Elysée par le Président de la République.

Compte tenu de la revendication de l’attentat par l’état islamique et des menaces qui pèsent sur notre pays, nous avons décidé de…

— Gabriel Attal (@GabrielAttal) March 24, 2024

With the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group claiming responsibility for the attack “and the threats weighing on our country, we have decided to raise the Vigipirate posture to its highest level: attack emergency,” he said, referring to France’s national security alert system.

The death toll from the concert hall shooting on Friday in a Moscow suburb rose to 137, said the country’s federal investigative authority.

A statement by Russia’s Investigative Committee said the bodies of 137 people have been found at the site, three of which it said are children.

“The investigation of the crime scene continues. To date, 62 bodies have been identified. For the remaining victims, genetic tests are being carried out to establish their identities,” the statement said.

It said more than 500 rounds of ammunition and 28 magazines as well as two Kalashnikov assault rifles were found at the scene.

Russia’s Health Ministry says 180 people have been hospitalized and that 142 of them are receiving in-patient treatment.

Gunmen opened fire at concertgoers at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk late Friday as the rock band Picnic was about to perform and a fire later broke out at the building.

President Vladimir Putin declared March 24 a national day of mourning for those killed in the attack, with flags lowered to half-mast.

Russian authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the attack, including four directly involved, according to the Federal Security Service.