The French authorities have put 4,000 soldiers on alert, who could be mobilized along with the 3,000 already patrolling the streets, after activating the highest level of alert due to the risk of an attack.

The announcement was made this Monday by the French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, who during a visit to one of the major train stations in Paris, Saint Lazare, stated that “exceptional means will be deployed throughout the territory.” .

These 4,000 additional soldiers who will enter the Sentinelle device “are already on alert” and are “mobilizable if necessary” to patrol in places susceptible to attacks, Attal has indicated.

This will serve to reinforce the presence of law enforcement in “sensitive places, such as schools, religious temples, performance halls, stations, airports or city centers,” he detailed.

The prime minister has explained, as the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, had already anticipated hours before, that the branch of the Islamic State (IS) that has claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack last Friday, in which at least 137 people died , has also tried to perform in France and other European countries such as Germany.

He referred to a failed attempt in Strasbourg, where several people were arrested.

Although he has not given precise details, it is understood that he was alluding to an operation against the Strasbourg Christmas market – which was already the victim of a deadly attack in 2018 claimed by the Islamic State – which led to the arrest at the end of December of five suspects. .

Attal added that since the beginning of this year two other attempted attacks have been aborted in France, bringing the total to 45 since Macron’s first term began in 2017.

He has insisted that the protection of the French will be the “first mission” of his Government, that they will not give up anything in that commitment and he wanted to remember some of the measures since the president arrived at the Elysée almost seven years ago.

He has said that the resources of the secret services have been doubled with the hiring of 1,900 people, regulatory changes to fight against what is called “Islamist separatism”, to facilitate the closure of mosques from which radical speeches are made and to accelerate the expulsions of foreigners suspected of fundamentalism (760 since 2017).

The Vigipirate anti-terrorist plan was launched at the end of 2016, after the wave of attacks in 2015-2016 that shook France, and since then the maximum alert has been activated on four occasions with the current one.