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French Police Arrest 10 Islamist Suspects

Andrew McIntyre |
April 4, 2012 | 1:49 a.m. PDT

Executive Producer

French police arrested 10 Islamic suspects in raids across France Wednesday morning, after seven people were killed in three separate shootings last month.

President Nicholas Sarkozy ordered the arrests - in the southern cities of Marseilles and Valence and in the northeast town of Roubaix - according to a police source.

Police conducted raids across France early Wednesday (Creative Commons)
Police conducted raids across France early Wednesday (Creative Commons)

The suspects have apparently all traveled to Afghanistan or Pakistan, or had plans to visit one or both countries.

Sarkozy is facing a tough fight for re-election.  Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, currently leading Sarkozy in the polls, said more should have been done earlier.

Hollande, in a radio interview Wednesday (from New York Times):

“If there are suspicions, if there are risks, then they must be acted upon... But what might be surprising is why do it after an act of terrorism which has, it is true, deeply affected our spirits?.. I am not questioning what is being done. All I am saying, simply, is that we should have perhaps done more beforehand."

Wednesday's raids follow the March 30 arrest of 19 people in Toulouse and other cities.

Mohammed Merah, the man suspected of carrying out the March attacks, was shot dead by police on March 22 after he had locked himself in a Toulouse apartment for 33 hours.



 

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