Government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot sowed confusion on the threat of attacks on Wednesday by announcing that an “attempt to take action” had been foiled during the Easter weekend, before having to correct her own statements less than an hour later. “No attack was foiled this weekend,” her entourage told AFP, while Prisca Thevenot had not yet completed her report from the council of ministers.
13,500 law enforcement officers deployed over the Easter weekend
However, at the start of her press conference, the minister praised in her opening remarks the effectiveness of the mobilization of the police during the Easter weekend. “The Minister of the Interior (Gérald Darmanin) announced that the 4,530 religious establishments, places of worship, would have particular vigilance with 13,500 law enforcement officers deployed throughout the territory” to protect religious services during the Easter holidays, Prisca Thevenot declared in reporting to the Council of Ministers.
“Thanks to this mobilization, we were able to put an end to an attempt to take action. Because yes, there are attempts to take action and thanks to the mobilization of these men and women on a daily basis , we can avoid tragedies. This action was avoided last weekend,” she added. She associated this event with the strengthening of the Vigipirate system, which was raised on March 24 to its maximum level, “emergency attack”, two days following the attack which left at least 144 dead in a concert hall near Moscow. , claimed by the Islamic State group.
“I was certainly not clear and I realized it when I heard your different questions”
But as questions were asked, the editorial staff simultaneously requested details from the Ministry of the Interior and the anti-terrorist prosecution, which the latter were unable to provide. The spokesperson therefore had to backpedal live, even though her report was not finished. “I didn’t say it was an attempted terrorist attack,” she first corrected. “I was certainly not clear and I realized it when hearing your various questions,” she finally said, without losing her smile, which she also kept to chat informally with journalists following his public speech.
In the meantime, his entourage had corrected the situation, by sending a clarification to AFP: “During her press briefing, the government spokesperson referred to the comments of the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories of this weekend which announced the arrest of an individual at the beginning of March who wanted to attack places of worship. According to a government source, the ministers did not mention any attempted attack during their weekly meeting.
A source close to the matter told AFP that Prisca Thevenot had probably made a confusion with the arrest of a 62-year-old Egyptian in early March, in connection with the Islamic State and who was planning violent action once morest places of worship, notably Notre-Dame in Paris. The government spokesperson recalled during her press briefing that “45 attacks” had been “foiled since 2017”, according to the government’s report. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had already affirmed last week, before the Easter weekend, that two attack plans had been “foiled” in France since the start of the year.
