The Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, announced Sunday evening March 24 to “raise” the Vigipirate plan in France to its highest level: “emergency attack”, following the attack near Moscow, claimed by the organization Islamic State (IS).
“Given the claim of responsibility for the attack by the Islamic State and the threats weighing on our country, we have decided to raise the Vigipirate posture to its highest level: emergency attack,” said Gabriel Attal on X following a defense council at the Elysée.
“The claim for the Moscow attack comes from the Islamic State in Khorasan. However, this organization threatens France and has been involved in several recent foiled attack plans in several European countries, including Germany and France,” said Matignon. “The Prime Minister asked the Secretary General of Defense and National Security, under his authority, to convene [Monday] first thing in the morning a meeting bringing together all the security services impacted by the increase in the Vigipirate level” , we add. The Vigipirate plan was downgraded to level 2 (“reinforced security – attack risk”) in January.
The attack on Crocus City Hall, which left at least 137 dead at a concert hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow, was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) organization. “The attack was carried out by four Islamic State [organization] fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and incendiary bombs,” the jihadist movement said on Telegram on Saturday. The Islamic State in Khorasan (EI-K), an Afghan branch of the organization, had already claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday evening.
“No Ukrainian involvement” for Washington
The Russian authorities had still not mentioned on Sunday the responsibility of the Islamic State (IS) organization. Vladimir Putin assured Saturday that "the four direct perpetrators" of the attack had been arrested while they "tried to flee and headed towards Ukraine", where "a passage" had, according to him, been provided for them to so that they can cross it.
This thesis is rejected by Washington, for whom IS bears “sole responsibility for this attack” and for whom “there is no Ukrainian involvement”. The British finance minister also cast doubt on Mr. Putin's version, saying he had "very little confidence" in the word of the Russian authorities.
The attack on Crocus City Hall is the deadliest attack committed in Russia in twenty years. The Islamic State organization, which Russia is fighting in Syria and which is active in the Russian Caucasus, had already committed smaller attacks there since the end of the 2010s.
