Poison fear in Paris
THE French Army was last night protecting water facilities around Paris amid fears of a chemical attack by Islamic State terrorists.
Scientists were carrying out tests on the city’s water supply after equipment used to guard against chemical products, including protective suits, was stolen from a Paris hospital. In other developments yesterday: Brussels was in lockdown over the threat of an imminent Paris-style attack. The country terror threat level was raised over ‘precise information of possible multiple gun and bomb attacks’. Armed police and soldiers patrolled the streets, shops were closed, sporting events cancelled and the underground metro system closed.
Six British men of Pakistani origin were arrested last night while travelling through Belgium in three old ambulances. They were thought to be travelling on an aid convoy – possibly destined for Syria – and police searched the vehicles. One of the men is known to British police, it was reported.
Police raided a property in the Brussels suburb of Moolenbeek, described as the ‘jihadi capital of Europe’ and home to three of the Paris gunmen. Officers confiscated three guns.
Police commandos arrested four people in a suspicious vehicle at the Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels.
Turkish authorities detained a Belgian man of Moroccan origin on suspicion he scouted out the target sites for the Paris attacks. Paris Water president Célia Blauel confirmed that water samples were being analysed and six vital sites were under armed guard.
‘Checks are continuing,’ she said, adding that the chlorine in the water had been increased to limit the risk of contamination. The water is always chlorinated for health reasons, but the dose has been raised.
‘When the chlorine level drops, it means there is biological contamination,’ she added.
The chlorine level is controlled throughout the network. This allows us – if necessary – to precisely isolate the affected area without disrupting the entire network.’
Twelve protective suits used to guard against chemical products and viruses such as Ebola were stolen from the city’s Necker hospital complex. More than 30 protective boots were also taken, along with gloves and masks. A hospital spokesman said: ‘The disappearance was noticed on Wednesday and a complaint has been filed.’
British chemical expert John Large said the UK was ‘very vulnerable’ to an attack on its water systems, adding: ‘Either by injecting a toxin into a pipe system, or by putting a large quantity of a toxic into a reservoir, the terrorists could pose a major threat.
‘IS’s chemical knowledge is improving fast and it would be a nightmare for the British Army or police to protect every reservoir or treatment works in this country.’
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls last week predicted a chemical attack on his country.
He said: ‘We must not rule anything out. We know and bear in mind that there is a risk of chemical or bacteriological weapons. The macabre imagination of the masterminds is limitless.’
Police dealing with the aftermath of the Paris attacks have been searching for supplies of chemical weapons in Paris and Brussels. It came as soldiers and paramilitary police continued their manhunt for Salah Abdeslam, the only known attacker from the Paris attacks who escaped alive. There have been sev- eral unconfirmed sightings of him in Brussels, but ‘he could be anywhere now,’ said a source.
Turkish authorities, meanwhile, arrested three people with suspected ties to IS.
‘UK vulnerable to toxic attack’