Paris [France], October 23: France will increase security at airports around the capital and on trains after a wave of bomb threats caused panic among people.
The above announcement was made by French Transport Minister Clement Beaune on October 22, according to Reuters. Mr Beaune said security patrols at Paris airports would be increased by 40% and staff at national railway company SNCF would be increased by 20%. In addition, police will also be deployed more heavily to closely monitor the stations.
According to Mr. Beaune, transportation has often been the target of attacks, causing heavy damage in French and European history. He said in addition to the increased risk, there were also "people playing with fear", referring to the wave of false bomb warnings targeting transport networks, schools and cultural centers in the past week.
Since October 18, there have been 70 bomb threats at airports in France. Most of these alerts were sent from the same email address based in Switzerland. Mr Beaune warned that hoaxes like this were not "little pranks, they were serious crimes" and would be investigated.
Issuing a threatening warning is usually punishable by 2 years in prison and 30,000 euros (780 million VND). However, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau warned that penalties could be harsher, adding that bomb threats would now be considered a form of targeted "psychological violence".
Talking to Le Parisien newspaper , Ms. Beccuau said such a crime could be punished with 3 years in prison and 45,000 euros.
France has been on the highest alert since October 13 after a 20-year-old man stabbed a teacher to death in the city of Arras, in the north of the country.
A series of fake threats were then made, including a teenager in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone, a town northwest of Paris, threatening to bomb his school. About 1,200 people, including about 1,000 students, were later evacuated. However, no explosives were found after examining the site and the teenager's exact motive remains unclear.
Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti reported on October 20 that 22 investigations had been launched due to false alarms, AFP reported. Most of these targeted major French airports, leading to evacuations, hours-long delays and dozens of flight cancellations. According to statistics, such threats have affected at least 14 airports.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
