French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday requested enhanced security measures near churches during the celebrations of Ascension Day (May 9) and Pentecost (May 19), citing “a very high level of terrorist threat.”
The minister stated in a telegram seen by Agence France-Presse that “ongoing strong tensions at the international level,” especially the conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, necessitate "maintaining high vigilance" around Christian places of worship.
Darmanin further added that it would be necessary to secure the most sensitive sites with the presence of “static security during the arrival and departure times of worshipers,” supported by soldiers.
France had earlier raised its “Vigipirate” national security alert system to its highest level following a terrorist attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 144 people and ISIS’s claim of responsibility.
In a handwritten memorandum before Easter, the French Interior Minister requested a “concrete presence” of the police in front of all churches and synagogues, especially during this Friday mass and the coming weekend.
France has already thwarted two terrorist plots this year.
One of the incidents involved a 62-year-old suspected extremist who planned an attack at the Catholic church.
The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on May 5.
