Saudi intelligence alerts France of al-Qaeda threat

Oct 18, 2010, 13:05 GMT

Paris - French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Saudi intelligence notified Paris last week that the terrorist group al- Qaeda was preparing attacks in Europe, particularly in France, the daily Le Figaro reported Monday.

'The threat is real and our vigilance is 100 per cent,' Hortefeux said in a radio interview on Sunday.

He did not give details about the nature of the threat.

The spokesman for Saudi Interior Minister Mansur al-Turki would not comment on the report, saying the government did not on principle speak about issues related to its intelligence agencies.

The warning was the latest in a series of alerts about terrorist threats concerning Europe. Hortefeux said that on September 9, Interpol issued a warning about a worldwide terrorist threat, but particularly in Europe.

One week later, Algerian intelligence services warned France that a female suicide bomber may be trying to enter the country.

Hortefeux said that France has thwarted on average two terrorist attacks a year, and that 61 people were currently in French prisons because of alleged connections to acts of terrorism.

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