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2010-07-27 Africa North

France's Sarkozy says will punish Qaeda killers

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Posted by Fred 2010-07-27 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top
File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa

#1 Olivier Thomas, questioned the use of force, saying the French tradition was to negotiate hostages' freedom.

The French tradition is immediate surrender. "Negotiate", used here, is a synonym.

Posted by Swanimote 2010-07-27 07:37|| 2010-07-27 07:37|| Front Page Top

#2 Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said on Sunday it had killed Michel Germaneau in response to a raid by France and Mauritania against the group last week.

The brave ~~lions~~ weazels of islam wage war.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-07-27 09:27|| 2010-07-27 09:27|| Front Page Top

#3 I would like to point out that why negotiations were on the way, the French were also attempting to find where the hostages were being held and raided a camp when the obvious became obvious. The French government, at least in public, has been taking a fine stance recently IMHO, and are hopefully backing up the tough actions behind the scenes.

Posted by swksvolFF 2010-07-27 10:52|| 2010-07-27 10:52|| Front Page Top

#4 You guys are a bit off in your estimation of France's determination and effectiveness in counterterrorism. In reality, the French state has far more power, and uses it more effectively, than we do when it comes to cracking down on internal threats.

Here's a profile of their leading anti-terror magistrate, Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who "under French law is granted great prosecutorial powers, including the ability to sign search warrants, order wiretaps and interrogate suspects."

France has embraced a law enforcement strategy that relies heavily on preemptive arrests, ethnic profiling and an efficient domestic intelligence-gathering network. French anti-terrorism prosecutors and investigators are among the most powerful in Europe, backed by laws that allow them to interrogate suspects for days without interference from defense attorneys.

...Despite the political discord over Iraq, France's intelligence and counterterrorism officials say they work closely with their American counterparts on terrorism investigations.

With the largest Muslim population in Europe, France is being closely watched in neighboring countries, many of which are tightening their own anti-terror and immigration laws. But even following the Sept. 11 attacks and the March 11 bombings of commuter trains in Madrid, other European countries have been reluctant to fully embrace the French model, part of a legal tradition from the Napoleonic era that has always given prosecutors strong powers....

Many of the anti-terror laws and policies in France date to 1986, when the country was grappling with Palestinian and European extremist groups. Since then, the government has modified and expanded those laws several times, gradually giving authorities expanded powers to deport and detain people.

'High Pressure Zones'

Terrorism is "a very new and unprecedented belligerence, a new form of war and we should be flexible in how we fight it," said Jean-Louis Bruguiere, a senior French anti-terrorism judge. "When you have your enemy in your own territory, whether in Europe or in North America, you can't use military forces because it would be inappropriate and contrary to the law. So you have to use new forces, new weapons."

At times, French authorities have pursued terrorism cases outside their borders, taking over investigations from countries unwilling or unable to arrest suspects on their own....

Over the past decade, Bruguiere has ordered the arrests of more than 500 people on suspicion of "conspiracy in relation to terrorism," a broad charge that gives him leeway to lock up suspects while he carries out investigations.

"There is no equivalent anywhere else in Europe. This provision is very, very efficient for judicial rule in tackling terrorist support networks," Bruguiere said in an interview.

"Fighting terrorism is like the weather. You have high pressure zones and low pressure zones. Countries that have low pressure zones" attract terrorism.

Posted by lex 2010-07-27 12:59|| 2010-07-27 12:59|| Front Page Top

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