Islamists not chief suspects in Paris scare – minister

As France steps up security after explosives were found in a Paris department store, a minister has said Islamists are not the main suspects. The government was holding emergency talks with police, transport and retail representatives today to discuss how best to react to the terror threat. This, as questions persist over who was behind it. A previously unknown group demanding the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan said it planted dynamite at the Printemps store. There were no detonators, suggesting the aim was to spread alarm rather than kill. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said the phrasing and dialect used in the warning letter were not those typical of Islamist terrorists. He highlighted the mention of the word “capitalist” and the lack of any reference to Islam or Jihad.

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tags: France, Islamists, Security