Country Reports on Terrorism 2012 - France

Overview: The United States and France maintained a strong relationship in the fight against terrorism in 2012. U.S. government agencies worked closely with their French counterparts for the exchange and evaluation of terrorist-related information, and partnered in fostering closer regional and international cooperation. France's security apparatus and legislation afford broad powers to security services for the prevention of terrorist attacks. France was subjected to lone wolf attacks in March in Toulouse and Mantauban. The French government was concerned about the possibility of attacks against its interests inside and outside of Syria, Mali, and Mali's neighbors. Also, instability in Mali and the Sahel heightened French concerns about the ability of terrorists to operate in and recruit from northern Africa.

2012 Terrorist Incidents:

• On March 11 and 15, Mohamed Merah, killed three French soldiers and critically injured another, in Montauban and Toulouse.

• On March 19, Merah killed a teacher and three children at a private Jewish school in Toulouse. Merah was killed by police on March 22, after a 32-hour siege at his apartment.

• On March 21, a package bomb exploded outside the Indonesian Embassy in Paris. The building sustained damage, but no injuries were reported. French militant Frederic C. Jean Salvi, who has been on Indonesia's wanted list since 2010 for allegedly planning a car bombing with other members of a terrorist cell, was suspected by Indonesia's anti-terrorism agency of having carried out the attack.

• On September 19, an individual threw a Molotov cocktail into a kosher supermarket in Sarcelles, injuring one person. An investigation into the attack led to the October 6 dismantling of a suspected Islamic terrorist cell located in several French cities.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: On December 12, the French government adopted new counterterrorism legislation. The new law allows authorities to prosecute French citizens who return to the country after having committed an act of terrorism abroad, or after training in terrorist camps (notably in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region) with the intention of returning to France to commit terrorist attacks.

France works diligently to maintain strong border security and implements national and EU border security legislation. On June 29, Marseille-Provence airport implemented the Automated Fast Track Crossing at External Borders (PARAFE) system, which, combined with biometric authentication technology, simplifies border crossing and results in an average crossing time of 20 seconds. Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports use the PARAFE system. In 2012, French customs actively participated in the National Targeting Center (NTC) activities. The NTC, located in Washington, DC, allows for real-time information sharing as it relates to passenger and cargo targeting. On December 20, the French government adopted new legislation that increases the length of time illegal immigrants may be detained for not having a residency permit to 16 hours. The law responds to criticism that the previous length of detention, four hours, mandated by the French Supreme Court, allowed criminal networks to traffic immigrants to another country before police could complete their checks.

On March 19, following the attacks by Mohamed Merah, France raised its Vigipirate national security alert system to scarlet (the highest) for the first time since the creation of the system. The alert notified the public "of a risk of major attacks, simultaneous or otherwise, using non-conventional means and causing major devastation; preparing appropriate means of rescues and response, measures that are highly disruptive to public life are authorized." The alert was lowered back to level red ("high chance of threat") on March 24.

On May 4, a French court sentenced Algerian-born particle physicist, Adlene Hicheur, 35, to five years in prison for "criminal association with the intent to prepare terrorist acts." While Hicheur studied and was employed in France, he exchanged 35 emails, some of them encrypted, with a representative of al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Algeria in 2009.

The following high profile arrests took place in 2012:

• On January 25, French Police arrested Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) member Ernesto Prat Urzainqui, one of Spain's most wanted terrorists.

• On March 19, the brother of violent extremist Mohamed Merah, Abdelkader Merah, was arrested, and on March 25 was charged with criminal conspiracy for planning terrorist acts, and of complicity in murder and gang robbery.

• On March 30, police conducted raids targeting suspected terrorists in Toulouse, Nantes, Le Mans, Lyon, Nice, and in the Paris region, arresting 17. On April 3, 13 of the suspects were placed under formal investigation, one remained in pre-trial detention, and four were released. Several of the suspects were accused of planning the kidnapping of Albert Levy, a Jewish magistrate from Lyon.

• On April 4, police conducted raids targeting suspected terrorists in Marseille, Roubaix, Trappes, Carpentras, Valence, and Pau, arresting 10. The suspects reportedly visited websites that expressed violent extremist views, and some were suspected of traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan to train in terrorist camps.

• On May 27, the military leader of ETA, Oroitz Gurruchaga Gorgorza, and his deputy, Xabier Aramburu, were arrested in the southwestern French village of Cuana following a joint operation conducted by the French Internal Security Service, the Spanish Civil Guard, and the Spanish intelligence services.

• On October 6, police conducted raids targeting suspected terrorists in Cannes, Strasbourg, and the Paris suburb of Torcy, killing one suspect and arresting 12 others. Five of the 12 suspects were released on October 10 without charges.

• On October 27, French authorities, as the result of a joint investigation by the Spanish Civil Guard and French police, arrested ETA members Izaskun Lesaka Arguelles and Joseba Iturbide Ochoteco. Lesaka was one of the three members of ETA's leadership (ETA's "Holy Trinity," as they are referred to in press). Lesaka read many of the group's communiqués in televised statements.

• On December 17, French intelligence services arrested three individuals suspected of violent extremism in the neighborhoods of Bon-Voyage and les Moulins in Nice. The three men were accused of training in terrorist training camps in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Other actions in 2012 included:

• On April 2, violent Islamic extremist Ali Belhadad (Algerian), and Imam Almany Baradji (Malian), were deported from France. The Ministry of Interior also announced that Imam Saad Nasser Alchatry (Saudi Arabian) would not be allowed back into France; while Imam Yusuf Yuksel (Turkish) and violent extremist Malek Drine (Tunisian) would also be deported at a later date. According to the Ministry, the imams made anti-Semitic statements in their sermons and called for Muslims to reject Western values.

• On November 21, Paris' Sentence Enforcement Court granted parole to Georges Ibrahim Abdullah, on the condition that he immediately be deported to Lebanon. Abdallah, the convicted terrorist and Lebanese national sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the 1982 murders of a U.S. military attaché and an Israeli diplomat in Paris, and the attempted murder of a U.S. consul in Strasbourg, is one of Europe's longest serving prisoners. The French government immediately appealed the decision. The appellate court was scheduled to consider the appeal in early 2013.

Countering Terrorist Finance: France is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and underwent a mutual evaluation in February 2011. France belongs to the following FATF-related bodies: Cooperating and Supporting Nation to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, Observer to the Financial Action Task Force of South America, Observer to the Asia Pacific Group, Observer to the Eurasia Group, Observer to the Middle East and North Africa Financial Task Force, member of the Egmont Group, and member of the Anti-Money Laundering Liaison Committee of the Franc Zone. The FATF also designated France as a member of Moneyval, the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism, for a period of two years beginning in the fall of 2012. The Government of France began implementing FATF's April 2012 recommendations to detect, prevent, and suppress the financing of terrorism and terrorist acts.

• On January 31, five people were arrested in the Paris region by the sub-Directorate of the Anti-Terrorism unit of the Ministry of Interior for channeling funds through restaurants to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

• On February 16, Taoufik Boussedra, a member of the Cherifi group, was deported to Tunisia for financing al-Qa'ida (AQ). Boussedra was one of eight men convicted of financing terrorism in January 2011. The other seven men received from 15 years imprisonment to a one-year suspended sentence. The men were found to be funneling funds through shops they opened in several Paris suburbs.

• On June 29, Nabil Amdouni, a 34-year-old Tunisian citizen, was arrested in Toulon and placed under formal investigation for allegedly funding AQIM.

• On July 15, the Ministry of Economy and Finance froze the assets of "Emily K" who actively supported the violent extremist organization, Forsane Alizza.

• On October 6 and 7, three members of the PKK in Europe were arrested outside of Paris and Mayenne for trying to provide 1.2 million euros (US $1.56 million) in arms to the Iraqi wing of the PKK.

• During the last week of October, the Ministry of Economy and Finance froze the assets of Imam Mohamed Hammami, and expelled him to Tunisia, for calling for a "violent jihad" and violence against women during his sermons at the Omar Mosque in Paris. The funds of the Association of Faith and Practice, which Hammami chaired, were also frozen.

• On November 28, 15 people were charged with illegally financing the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C), a Turkish revolutionary organization designated as a terrorist organization by the EU and United States, and banned in Turkey. The individuals are accused of channeling money made through the sale of a Turkish magazine to the DHKP-C through the Anatolia's Cultural and Solidarity Association in Paris. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to eight years.

• On December 17, 10 people went on trial in Paris for allegedly raising 300,000 euros (approximately US $395,000) for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which the UN lists as associated with AQ. The trial is occurring four years after the suspects, most of whom are of Turkish origin, were arrested in France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: France is a founding member of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. France is actively engaged with the UN Counterterrorism Committee (CTC) and also played a strong role on the UNSCR 1267/1989 and 1988 Sanctions Committees. France participated in the drafting of the European Council's Counterterrorism Strategy action plan. France helped create and implement NATO's new Strategic Concept and the Lisbon Summit Declaration, both of which include major counterterrorism measures for member states. Through the OSCE, France engaged in new measures to counter transnational threats, including terrorism. The French government undertook joint counterterrorism operations with countries including the UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

France also plays an active role in efforts to support counterterrorism capacity building in other countries both bilaterally and within the EU.

Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: The French government does not have a program in place that specifically addresses countering violent extremism, but considers its integration programs for all French citizens and residents a major tool in countering radicalization and violent extremism in France. Many of these programs target disenfranchised communities and new immigrants. For example, the Ministry of Education works to instill "universal values" in all French pupils, regardless of ethnic origin or country of birth. Ministry regulations mandate that all French public schools teach civic education, and that all students attend school until age 16. The government also offers adult vocational training for older immigrants and/or minorities who never attended French schools. The Ministry of Interior plays a significant role in countering radicalization by targeting areas, neighborhoods, and regions with high criminality and juvenile delinquency rates.

The Ministry of Justice implements rehabilitation and reintegration programs for former criminals. To help curb radicalization, the penitentiary system announced in 2012 that it would increase the number of Muslim chaplains in French prisons in 2013 to 166 (from 151) to help curb radicalization. In 2012, there were an estimated 200 violent Islamist extremists in the French prison system, 60 to 70 of whom were strongly suspected of belonging to a terrorist network. The majority of these prisoners were located in prisons in northern France, the Paris region, and Marseille.