France and Germany braced for terrorism

FRENCH authorities warned of a “very high” terror threat on New Year's Eve due to the war in Gaza as Germany also braced itself for violence.

Gérard Darmanin, the French interior minister, said yesterday that 90,000 police officers and gendarmes will be deployed throughout the country during the upcoming festivities.

“I've requested a very strong mobilisation of police forces and the gendarmerie under the context of a very high terrorist threat, of course due to what's happening in Israel and Palestine,” Mr Darmanin said.

Some 5,000 soldiers from Operation Sentinel, a military operation aimed at protecting the French from terror threats, and 35,000 firefighters will also be dispatched.

In Paris, where up to 1.5 million people are expected to descend on the Champs-Elysées for the New Year's Eve countdown, 6,000 officers will be on patrol. Police will be permitted to use drones for the first time as part of their operations.

Meanwhile, in Germany, authorities have announced one of the largest police operations in years as they attempt to secure Berlin for Dec 31.

Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, said she was “concerned that New Year's Eve could once again be a day on which we experience blind rage and senseless violence”.

Noting that violence had increased on New Year's Eve in recent years, she added: “Of course we have to keep a very close eye on the danger of this mixing with radicalisation, which we are now seeing in light of the Middle East conflict.”

Some 4,000 officers will be deployed in the German capital. During last year's celebrations, Berlin's police were caught out by rioting in neighbourhoods with large migrant populations.

Germany has also reported a surge in alleged terror plots since the beginning of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, with Cologne Cathedral closed over Christmas due to concerns that the terror group Islamic State had hatched a plan to attack it.

In France, Mr Darmanin said the situation in Gaza had undoubtedly exacerbated terrorist threats it was facing, but noted the country has been a target for attacks for years.