Terrorism threats still high for France, says minister
(01-21 19:07)
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls on Monday said the country's anti-terror alert remained at red level, the second-highest level in the country's Vigipirate security plan.
"This (terrorism) threat is still high. This menace exists and vigilance, mobilization and discretion are needed to cope with it," the minister told Europe 1, Xinhua news agency reports.
"We have, at the same time, an external enemy that we are fighting in Mali and an enemy inside created by dozens of dangerous people that must be monitored and neutralized," he said.
The Vigipirate plan, implemented in March 2003, has four levels: yellow, orange, red and scarlet, from the lowest to the highest.
On Jan. 12, French President Francois Hollande decided to reinforce the country's anti-terror alert to the highest level following Paris' military commitment to help Malian authorities stop Islamist rebels' offensive.
A major terrorist bomb explosion hit the Paris subway in 1995, killing eight people and injuring 200.
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