The French police arrested five individuals on Friday for allegedly planning terrorist attacks in three municipalities in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France. This operation was led by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office in Paris, which coordinated with special service teams to apprehend the suspects simultaneously in the municipalities of Nancy, Toul, and Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy.
According to the report from L’Est Républicain, there is an ongoing preliminary investigation into what is being termed a “conspiracy to prepare one or more crimes causing physical harm.” The special operation was executed through the collaboration of various specialized police units in counter-terrorism, including the Sub-Directorate for Anti-Terrorism (SDAT), the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), and the Operational Support Group (GAO) affiliated with it.
Recently in Europe, there have been a number of arrests related to terrorism. In December 2023, seven people were arrested across Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish institutions. Four of these individuals are suspected members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The arrests occurred as Israel continued operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In Denmark, three of the suspects are to be charged under the terrorism clause of the criminal code, while in Germany and the Netherlands, the suspects had longstanding ties to Hamas’ leadership. The connection between the arrests in Denmark and those in Germany and the Netherlands was not immediately clear.
