French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned today that the country may come under attack by terrorists using chemical or biological weapons. His speech came as MPs gathered to vote on whether to extend emergency measures introduced following the Paris terror attacks.
Speaking to the French parliament in the wake of bomb and gun attacks in the French capital that killed 129 people, Valls called on representatives to extend the countrys state of emergency measures. We must not rule anything out. I say it with all the precautions needed. But we know and bear in mind that there is also a risk of chemical or bacteriological weapons, said Valls.
French MPs will vote on whether to extend the state of emergency imposed for the first time since 1961 in the wake of the attacks. The measures give security services increased powers, including bans on meetings at public places.
He told MPs that terrorism hit France, not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria...but for what it is. What is new are the ways of operating; the ways of attacking and killing are evolving all the time, the prime minister said.
The macabre imagination of those giving the orders is unlimited. Assault rifles, beheadings, suicide bombers, knives or all of these at once.
He also called on Europe to adopt measures on sharing information on airline passengers to reinforce airline security.
French police are still attempting to identify the remains of those killed in a police raid on a flat in the Saint Denis area early on the morning of Wednesday 18 November. The planner of Friday 13 Novembers attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was not among the seven arrested in the raid, and police are attempting to establish if his are among the remains.
