Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

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 antiterrorism
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.
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