Chopper attack in Paris: "What the investigation will determine is who handled this young"

Forensic experts work at the scene of a knife attack near the former offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo, in Paris, France on September 25, 2020. REUTERS / Gonzalo Fuentes

Text by: RFI Follow

4 min

Two people were seriously injured, seven were arrested, including the alleged perpetrator.

The main suspect "assumes his act which he places in the context of the republication of the cartoons [of the prophet Muhammad by Charlie Hebdo, note] that he did not support", according to a source close to the investigation.

Analysis by General Jérôme Pellistrandi, editor-in-chief of the National Defense review and head of the regional sessions office of the IHEDN, the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies.

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RFI: On Friday, the Minister of the Interior said: " 

General Jérôme Pellistrandi:

has good information to express himself on this subject.

It is clear that the symbol that

could represent

, where the former headquarters on rue Nicolas-Appert, indeed, was not protected.

In the security system, it is important, there may have been gaps.

Knowing that, simultaneously, the internal security forces must both manage the fight against terrorism,

all these events which mean that there is a very strong pressure on the security forces, and there may be, let's say, holes in the racket, which is what may have been the case on Friday.

Strong pressure, some experts even spoke of a too calm period.

Had we forgotten this risk?

The difficulty, when we are in business, that is to say that we must both manage the affairs of immediacy and then also reflect on the long term, act over the long term, and we know well that terrorism is a permanent danger.

But it is true that, I would say once again, the health crisis has in a way made us forget, take a back seat, this permanent threat.

However, let us not forget, there were a few weeks ago attacks of the same type in England, it is a very simple modus operandi and which is practically, unfortunately, unstoppable.

The parallel is drawn a lot with the attacks of January 2015. Same place.

For you, can we make this connection?

Is the situation regarding the terrorist threat the same?

It has evolved of course since 2015. On the one hand, because the Islamic State has lost importance in its zone of refuge which was Syria and Iraq.

Nevertheless, we see that it is a permanent noise.

To add to this, a difficult atmosphere on questions of communitarianism, the anniversary of the Charlie attacks and of course the trial.

So many elements which, finally, rekindles the danger.

What will be important, what the investigation will determine is who manipulated this young Pakistani, again it will be necessary to verify, who would be 18 years old.

There are bound to be people behind him.

There was this arrest yesterday, and to find out who manipulated him to bring about this gesture which could have been absolutely dramatic.

As you said, the police were under pressure, but they have had new resources for five years.

We have also seen security processes in schools that have been put in place.

Are we more ready today?

Yes.

Moreover, it is very interesting when you listen to the testimonies, in particular, in the schools, yesterday, the security processes worked very well.

On the other hand, the security forces: police, firefighters, army with the sentinel operation, arrived very quickly.

The lessons have been learned.

Now we have to be realistic, this type of attack is unfortunately practically unstoppable.

You can buy a knife in any supermarket and you can blindly attack people.

What happened yesterday.

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