“Up to 7,000 soldiers from the Sentinel force” will be deployed in the territory, the Elysée announced on Saturday October 14, the day after the murder of a teacher in a high school in Arras by a young man registered for radicalization.
“On the occasion of the security meeting [on Friday], the President of the Republic decided that we were going to mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers from the Sentinel force, who will be deployed by Monday evening and until new order,” indicated the Elysée, confirming information from RTL.
Against a backdrop of fear of importation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, France went on Friday to “emergency attack” alert, the highest level of the Vigipirate system, which allows the exceptional mobilization of resources.
The “emergency attack” level, which reports to the head of government, can be set up immediately following an attack or if an identified and unlocated terrorist group takes action. It allows the exceptional mobilization of resources, but also the dissemination of information likely to protect citizens in a crisis situation. France was until now at the “reinforced security – attack risk” level, which corresponds to a high level of terrorist threat.
In France, “there is no clear threat, there is an extremely negative atmosphere, particularly due to the call for action,” declared the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on Friday evening on TF1. Moving to this level of vigilance “is to tell all administrations to be careful” and “it allows our military friends from Operation Sentinel to gain strength,” explained the minister, who added that “ a few thousand” additional soldiers “will help the police and the gendarmerie, to monitor shopping centers, to protect all French people in their everyday lives”.