PARIS, Sept 23: The terrorist risk for France is at a new high following threats last week from Al Qaeda and a failed suicide attack on French nationals in Algeria, the country’s senior police officer said on Sunday.

“We don’t want to create panic, but the threat is strong today,” Frederic Pechenard, director-general of the national police told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

“It is strong because we are involved in Lebanon and Afghanistan; because the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) has radicalised, changing its name and getting closer to Al-Qaeda; and because Algeria, which is so close to us, is going through a difficult period,” he said.

Last Thursday Al Qaeda’s number two Ayman al-Zawahiri called for the “cleansing of the sons of France and Spain from Islamic north Africa”.—AFP