2023-10-14 13:22:38
The Louvre Museum exceptionally closed its doors at midday this Saturday, October 14. A spokesperson spoke to AFP about “security reasons”. “The Louvre received a written message stating a risk for the museum and its visitors” and “we have chosen […] to evacuate it and close it for the day, time to carry out the essential checks”, he said. This decision comes the day after the murder of a teacher stabbed to death in front of a middle school in Arras by a young man registered for radicalization, while France went on Friday on “emergency attack” alert, the highest level of the Vigipirate system which allows the exceptional mobilization of resources in a limited time.
In this context, “up to 7,000 soldiers from the Sentinel force” will be deployed in the territory, the presidency announced this Saturday. These soldiers “will be deployed by Monday evening and until further notice,” said the Elysée.
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Guest of TF1’s 8 p.m. show on Friday evening, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of “an extremely negative atmosphere” in France, making the link “between what happened, no doubt, in the Middle East and the “action” of the Arras attacker. The Vigipirate bulletin, of which AFP obtained a copy, emphasizes that the strengthening of the security level comes “in a period of high exposure” with the Rugby World Cup, events in the Middle East “which are added to an international geopolitical situation already greatly deteriorated.
The Minister of Education also announced the deployment of 1,000 security personnel in schools. Gabriel Attal is expected in Arras in the morning.
Three years after Samuel Paty
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The Arras attack also comes as the assassination of Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher beheaded on October 16, 2020, will be commemorated on Monday for showing caricatures of Mohammed during lessons on freedom of expression. Operation Sentinel was first deployed in 2015 by François Hollande, after the attacks targeting Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher.
The Arras attacker, Mohammed Mogouchkov, was the subject of recent monitoring by the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI). He was arrested on Thursday “to check if he did not have a weapon on him”, to check his phone and his encrypted messaging, before being released, according to Gérald Darmanin.
The right urged the government to establish a “state of emergency”, while the far right pointed out “flaws” and called for the resignation of the Minister of the Interior.
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