According to RTL, several attempted attacks have been thwarted in France in recent months, reveals a note from the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI). One of them allegedly targeted Nice and its carnival.
Invited by RTL, the Minister of the Interior confirmed the existence of the note: “Every day, internal security services dismantle networks and thwart acts that could be dramatic.” A statement directly aligned with the duty of reserve that is imposed in the context of a subject of public sensitivity.
As a hypothesis, for the case of Nice, one could refer to the arrest of Ibrahim Boudina*, arrested in February on the French Riviera. During the searches, the law enforcement officers seized three cans filled with TATP, a homemade explosive capable of producing the effect of several dozen grenades. According to rumors, the action was considered during the Nice Carnival.
This “leak,” which remains nothing more than a suspicion since no one has confirmed it, provoked an angry reaction from the mayor of Nice:
“I am surprised to learn about the existence of a note from the General Directorate of Internal Security indicating that a man, who had just arrived from Syria, was planning an explosive attack during the last Nice Carnival.”
To continue: “The fact that the Mayor of the concerned City is not informed is a real scandal […] This once again demonstrates the lack of consideration from the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes towards local elected officials.”
And to end with a thrust: “This failure to inform put the city at risk and caused harm. Therefore, based on these legal provisions, I will initiate actions with the administrative court against the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes which willfully disregarded the law and thus endangered the people of Nice.”
These statements, obviously intentionally aggressive, received a response from the Prefect who does not hesitate to put Christian Estrosi back in his place:
“The Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes confirms the arrest on February 11, 2014, in Mandelieu-La-Napoule of an individual, as well as the discovery of 3 homemade explosive devices potentially belonging to him.
No particular link was established at the time with the Nice Carnival.
Only the judicial authority would be authorized to communicate on the outcomes of this case.
At present, the only important point is that the action of the State services prevented, in this specific case, any act from being carried out.”
In fact, with “administrative” language, the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes provides a different interpretation and perspective on the matter: There are cases handled by the State authorities and are not within the jurisdiction of the city’s mayor… to each their own job!
And then, in public security matters, acting more than speaking is much better.
The reaction from the mayor of Nice allowed Marie-Christine Arnautu (FN) to do nothing less than put him on the defendant’s bench:
“Christian Estrosi claims today to be ‘appalled’: certainly he is not the Minister of the Interior… But doesn’t he support, as he always has, a certain Nicolas Sarkozy, who indeed held this responsibility for four years before being President of the Republic for five years?
Has he forgotten that under his ‘reign,’ there were more than 200,000 legal entries of foreigners per year and that the French Council of the Muslim Faith, a communautarist association par excellence, was created?
This new attempted attack shows that, unfortunately, Nice is becoming the French capital of jihad.”
But, in fact, since the suspect’s arrest was made in Mandelieu-La-Napoule and since no link has been officially established with the hypothesis of an attack during the Nice Carnival (except the “leak” on RTL), wouldn’t it be rather the mayor of that city who should react?
And then, how can we not think (and prefer) that the activities and notes of the DGSI remain confined to the strictest confidentiality and not become an occasion for free comment?
There are subjects that are nonetheless not appropriate for public debate. Security is one of them because it’s serious!
