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Gerard Julien / AFP - Getty Images
Members of the French National Police Intervention Group (GIPN) arrest a suspected member of a radical Islamist group in Marseille, Wednesday.
PARIS -- Elite police arrested 10 suspected Islamists in early-morning raids across France on Wednesday in a clampdown ordered by President Nicolas Sarkozy after seven people were killed by an al-Qaida-inspired gunman last month.
The DCRI domestic intelligence service, supported by elite police commandos, carried out arrests in the southern cities of Marseille and Valence, two towns in the southwest and in the northeastern town of Roubaix, a police source said.
The raids follow the arrest of 19 people on March 30, a week after police snipers shot dead gunman Mohamed Merah, who killed three Jewish school children, a rabbi and three soldiers in a spate of attacks around Toulouse.
"Those arrested have a similar profile to Mohamed Merah," a local police source said. "They are isolated individuals, who are self-radicalized."
Story: Sarkozy: Toulouse shootings caused 9/11-like trauma; 19 Islamist suspects arrested
He said the suspects were tracked on Islamist forums expressing extreme views and said they were preparing to travel to areas including Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Sahel belt to wage jihad (holy war).
Some of those arrested had already been and returned to France, the source said.
Sarkozy re-election bid
Sarkozy, who is facing an uphill task to be re-elected president in an April-May vote, has vowed to root out any form of militancy following Merah's killing spree.
Thirteen of the 19 people arrested last Friday are alleged to have links to radical French Islamist group Forsane Alizza. They are being investigated on suspicion of terrorism, the Paris public prosecutor said on Tuesday.
Wednesday's raids were not linked to either those arrests or the Merah attacks, the source said.
Story: Father of Toulouse gunman wants to sue France for killing son
The BBC reported that security has become a major issue in the election campaign, as Mr Sarkozy battles to overcome his main rival, Francois Hollande two-and-a-half weeks before the April 22 first-round vote.
Sarkozy, a former interior minister, has been accused by some opponents of capitalizing on the Islamist threat for electoral purposes even though only 20 percent of voters consider it their main concern, surveys show.
Speaking on RTL radio, Hollande, who is leading Sarkozy in polls, declined to be drawn on whether he thought the raids were politically driven.
"If there are suspicions and risks, then they must be acted upon," Hollande said. "But why do it after a terrorist act? I am not questioning what is being done, but we could have done more before," he said.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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WTG France.
Too bad Obama would never do that! I’m sure he will call and scold him today for profiling.
You are wrong, it has been done a few times by the Obama administration. Google it.
oh, thats right...
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2012/03/eric-holder-reports-of-nypd-spying-on-muslims-disturbing-116830.html
Hahaha FedupwithFed tell that to the guys in Gitmo, tell that to a few people I knew in college who are now in Gitmo. Tell that to Allalaki. He apologizes when they go to random mosques to looks for them, but when he finds them, they disappear.
Tell it to Osama Bin Ladin.
FedupwithFed No a$$wipe, Obama sends the SEALs or drones to kill them.
Keep up the good work France! Get every one of those cowardly muslim bastards!
Sick of hearing about the guys in Gitmo. They're not there because they're angels!
These self radicalized extremist fools. The way I would deliver justice would be to place rope with a noose, hang it around their neck as they stand on a stool. Tie their hands and legs, and leave them standing on the stool and leave them there. They would have no place to go but to jump of their own accord, or get tired and die anyways. They made their choice to become a radical, I will make it their choice to kill themselves for their actions.
Vive la France!
When terrorists strike, the French immediately arrest those who have a similar profile. I like it.
How could they do this to members of the religion of love and peace?
When it comes to radicalization, there is neither a place for love or peace.
I believe Larry's comment was that of sarcasm Phnomenal112
OurGovSucks I believe Larry-367607 forgets the IRA or the KKK, both radicalized Christian groups that have bombed and killed innocents in the recent past. Don't get me started with the Inquisition or the Crusades.
Yeah lets hear something for 500 yrs ago.
romilio... lets concentrate on the current century shall we?!?
Amen rgculver!
Muslims would never do anything bad-their such peace loving people and the Koran is such a loving teaching of loving non-muslims-obama say they have done so much good for the world and all muslims are peaceful but just a few bad guys...
More than a few my friend!
France has been over run. It may be to late for them to start fighting now. Wake up America. We are next.
mmm...i dunno leroy...usually i agree with your posts but you have to start somewhere...France may be showing the rest of world it's never too late and this is how to do it.
I don't know where you have been leroy but you already forgot about 9/11, underwear bomber, Guys buying singer missiles to shoot down planes in Stewart Airforce base. Timesqaure bomber. The list goes on. Other than 9/11 we have been doing pretty good.
I was working with a police chief in Afghanistan and he took off without telling anyone. Thought it was very suspicious. Guess where he went? Paris.
Sadly the French were retreating from some other threat and accidentally stumbled across these guys.
Good!...With the mullahs preaching hate and death re; Christians and Jews... to The FIVE MILLION Muslims in France...they should deport thousands of hate teachers...and actors.
Should, should, should. Should is just talk.
This is a nice start. Now if the rest of the Whirled would be so diligent, we may be able to put a dent in EVIL.
Cannot tell the difference between 'Whirled' and 'World' ?
You need to go back to school.
Seems like someone has put a dent in EDUCATION.
Looks like someone (SRK and BRO) can't mentally encompass sarcasm or irony. Education provides information (supposedly). It does not supply intelligence, artistic license with the language gained by familiarity or a sense of humor. Patently clear with you two.
Fa Tass was using two words that sound alike but have different meaning to indicate that the behavior of the world makes it appear that a good many people have been "whirled" before taking action. Since whirling would make them dizzy, nauseated and unsteady on their feet, the resultant image is one that persons with even moderate intelligence would find an amusing image.
Now...ease back from taking yourself so seriously. Morons!
Why isn't MSNBC accusing France of racial profiling? The suspects might just as easily be 90-year old diabled grandmothers.
Wow, if we did that here, the left, Holder and his boss Barry Sotero would be freakin out. NY surveils them and all hell brakes loose.
Just like in America they hide within the Muslim communities and live the good life of freedom, but turn around and shoot you in the back.
If you want to live in, work in, and have the same rights as the people of that country, then either assimilate into that country or go back to where you have NO RIGHTS and leave the rest of the world out of your religious bullsh*t agenda.
May ALLAH help the muslims. These all people just believe the media. Otherwise there is no such thing bad with the muslims. Especially ISLAM teaches us to be a good human, not to only target innocent people.
Tell that to the one's that have killed thousands upon thousands in the name of islam.
It appears that 'OurGovSucks' has selective memory.
My I point out that the Holocaust was not caused by Moslems.
The Opium Wars were not caused by Moslems.
The colonization of Central and South America were not caused by Moslems.
You too need to go back to school.
''Otherwise there is no such thing bad with the muslims.Especially ISLAM teaches us to be a good human, not to only target innocent people.''
WTF
So what's that mean? As long as you an islamist target and kill bad people, infidel's I presume you mean, then your still a good human being. And as long as your target was the bad infidels your still a good human being even if innocent people, muslims I presume you mean, are killed along with them?
SRK
So? They're doing it NOW and that's what OurGovSucks was referring to. Just because past injustices were committed by other nations/races/sects doesn't mean it's okay for future idiots to do the same. It seems the Muslims need to look within their own community and fix some problems. (I know, I know, we all do. BUT THE MUSLIMS NEED TO, TOO, and that's the point being made.)
Allah HAS been helping Muslims, Farooq head. He has helped them be murdering, backshooting cowards commonly seen to be mentally slow, behaviorally challanged, violent and illogical.
Allah is mocking you. Hey, I'm laughing at you....how are you doing? I think Allah may be exasperated with his "children".
The "media" misrepresents Islamist behavior? What isn't true?
SRK... step outside of your long term history and into more modern time. CCWRider is correct by what I meant.
I've been to school and have a degree and use it.... I don't need to go back.
THIS is a very serious subject with major implications for freedom loving individuals everywhere. The citizens of a country should be able to expect their governments to protect them from these useless and terrible radical groups.
I feel that the age of the passive government has to pass. These radicals, in my opinion, have or should expect NO rights at all. In fact, I think IF they are being monitored by the government and IF they are discovered plotting with others, speaking horrors of death and destruction - jihad - they should NOT be considered "citizens" and should be mercilessly pursued, corralled and shipped out of that country right NOW. I realize that is in direct conflict with the whole idea of "freedom" but there you go. These clowns are stone nasty killers with nothing but hate in their hearts. They can not be reasoned with or influenced to be any other way than they are. I have no problems with them quietly disappearing mysteriously into the ether for good.
It's my feeling that perhaps it's time for all freedom loving countries to form an anti-terror league and draft some real methods for dealing with this. Perhaps Russia could donate a sizable hunk of tundra in Siberia as a dropping off point for these killers of children. Float a satellite and keep constant watch over that area and if it should become necessary, NUKE that entire area with clean nukes.
Radical Muslims have worked hard to make themselves the public enemy that they are and are damn proud of it. The ONLY people that would shed a tear for them are others of their ilk. Mash them into one area, keep a watchful eye on them and if they should ever rise up from there, well, I'm not a killer but it's what seems has to happen to killers to stop them in a permanent fashion. You kill me? No, I'll kill YOU - FIRST. They call that "proactive" where I come from.
Okay Gooddoctor, let me ask you this, what happens when you irritate the government to the point that they declare you a terrorist, and take away your rights? Give the gov. the power to choose who has rights and who doesn't, and they will abuse that power. Maybe not right away, but eventually.
"Those who would give up a little liberty for a little security deserve neither, and will lose both." Ben Franklin said that, and he was right. We can't let our fear drive us to give up our rights. Keeping rights is a lot easier than getting them back, especially when people give them up willingly.
You watch though, there won't be a backlash against this from most people, because Muslims are different from 'ordinary people'. But the term 'ordinary people' changes from time to time. I guess we just have to hope we stay on that side of the line because when youaren't 'ordinary' I guess you don't get to have rights, huh?
Dio, there is another, more recent saying..."The Constitution is not a suicide pact."
Thank you Doctor, I feel much better. The truth is that Muslims, through the Koran, The Muslim clergy, the encouragement of the Muslim population and obviously through their terrorist/governmental rulers have stated their intention to kill all non muslims.
The "passive" outlook on war has been an abject failure. Korea, Viet Nam and 2 middle east struggles conducted while trying not to win have all been failures. The soldiers fight as well as they are allowed to, but too many restrictions have doomed these conflicts to ineffectiveness.
WWII worked out well. Start at one side of a country containing your enemy, and take over by killing as many enemy as possible. "We aren't at war with Iraq". Remember that one? We werent at war with France in 1944 either, but France was full of Nazis, and they had to go.
We are at war with Islam. They have declared it. I say we go after them. WWII style. They prefer terror tactics? Great! We can do terror. They'll be appreciative.
I for one will be so incredibly happy once our presidential election is OVER. I am SO sick of every other post containing more Obama hate slag.
Radical killers of children - the guy last week FILMED this! Is that disgusting or what? THIS is particularly serious business in a country thousands of miles away. How can Obama have ANYTHING to do with it? Give it a rest or I'll barf on your shoe.
Let's see, Islamists say they "want to kill the infidels" "you are my enemy" what part of those statements do you not understand? What's the matter with the western culture, this is war, you better wake up, or your civilization will die out.
You need not fear the Islamists. Western civilization could collapse due to the insatiable greed of it's institutions, and the attitude of the citizens to procrastinate, be lazy and ask for more handouts from the authorities.
Islam should be outlawed. They have no rightful place in America under religious freedom because they as a religion advocate the repression, by murder if necessary, of all other religion's. One very important reason why America was founded. Allowing islam is allowing the very repression this country was founded against.
maddy, the problem is that the USA needs to revise it's understanding of Islam. Islam is not a religion, it is a distributed form of government. Once it is classified correctly, then we can take the appropriate steps to route it out.
Hey, wait a minute guys. I have denounced radical Islam as bitterly as anyone...but if you deport all Muslims, you will be leaving me without two fine doctors! And a lot of other patients will suffer, too.
Is there a French equivalent to the ACLU? If this were happening in America, the ACLU would be screaming bloody murder that the terrorist's rights were being trampled because they haven't actually blown anyone up yet.
isnt this america the land of opportunity the only native americans are dying out most of us are immigrants who came to this country for a better life our forefathers did not change the constitution they embraced it the poles germans russians italians etc who came here for freedom and id not try to impose their individual customes on anyone else yet since the coming of more immigrants from the middle east we now have to build mosques for them to worship at most of the people i grew up with attended the same american schools i did many spoke broken english but they tried to fit it if the muslims peaceful or not want to fit in maybe they should try to blend in a little more with the western life style burqas should not be allowed in public if they dont like it stay in your own backward country these oversized dresses can conceal a lot of stolen items from clothing to groceries and i have witnessed both of these things being done in stores most cities have laws which are put in place for everyone not just a chosen few example left sid of car is not to be parked to the curb. a lot of people dont feel that this applies to them probably because they dont know how to drive or park or how about large trash containers are not allowed because the trash collectors are hurting their back lifting them.for over 6 months people were told to downsize the size of containers put at the curb only to have the collectors have to argue with the homeowners as to why they will not try to lift the huge cans they put at the curb sorry i have gone on too long but it makes me mad to see that our western style of life is being trampled on by the latest wave of immigrants who do not want to adjust to thewestern life style they should be profiled and if they dont like it let them leave and free up more jobs for americans if they have nothing to hide why worry and the aclu should realized what they are trying to protect
Congratulations France you are sexy today! Think of the future innocent lives you may have saved. The Mohammad Mafia needs a bloody nose and a black eye. We the people of Planet Earth will no longer tolerate radical Islam's hatred of Jews, Christians, and Infidels like me.
at least some country has the guts to put an end to this crap called a religion if there are so many more peaceful muslims why are they not out marching and demonstrating and letting the government know where these radicals are so they can be deported and never again let back into the country
It's not the Muslim people but their belief in Islam that is offensive, a religion (ideology) that clearly states, if you're not Islamic you are a "Infidel" and thereby unworthy of "LIFE" and the prescription for that is "Death". Clearly the Quran enforces a strict adherence to the letter of Mohammad's writtings and provides brutal punishment for failure to comply. There is no ambiguity in Islam, "as it is written, so let it be done". This is not your average run of the mill religion, it's reinforced 5 times daily, every day, the brainwashing is relentless and complete! You add this to "Sharai Law" and you have a all encompassing religious dictatorship. The principal of migrate, overtake and subjugate in the name of "Allah" is well documents and is cause for concern! We can see the effects it has had on the European Countries who excepted these people unwittingly and now are paying the price for it. Any belief system that says you can lie, is a lie!!!!...no doubt about it!!....
England and France today, USA tomorrow - multiculturalism does NOT work - you just end up with these groups of people who want to bring their prejudices and attitudes into your country. France and England used to be known for their liberal attitudes and freedom of expression, now you have many areas where a non-muslim woman cannot go for fear of being attacked. Even in the US, you have the case in Minnesota where Sudanese muslim immigrants working as taxi drivers are wanting to impose their muslim values and refuse rides to people with liquor, pork or dogs. If you don't want to be an American, go back where you came from, we will not stop you!
And applause to France - these people fit the "profile" - can it be? Profiling and discriminating works? Remember the phonetic breakdown of the word "discrimination"? Dis-crime-a-nation!
Actually, making wars in the name of religion is fairly recent event in history. Until the advent of Christianity and Islam there were little if any wars fought over religion. If you were considered an apostate by either Chritianity or Islam you probably were going to be killed if caught. Both religions have been extremely agressive about converting the world to their religion and, unfortunately for a big part of that world, when they bumped up against one another the fight started. Right now center stage is on Islam and its fight against the rest of the world's religions and non religious people. However, in the U.S. there is also a fight going on between Evangelist or extreme rightwing Christians and the rest of Americans. So far the fight has mostly been verbal but no question if the rightwing sees they are losing "action" may be necessary. We may look back in a few years and wonder why we were only concerned with Islam and did not see the "terrorist" threat of extreme rightwing Christianity. I say this based upon history. In the 1920's the world viewed Communism as the main danger for Democracy and Capitalism. The Reds had taken Russia and Europe appeared to be on the verge of following Russia's lead. In deed many cities in Germany had fallen to the Communists. Leftist sentiment had started in the U.S. with the Wobblies movement. Nobody really considered the danger of rightwing extremists until the Fascists took Italy, Spain, Japan and the Nazis took Germany. Many smaller countries also fell under Fascist governments. Actually, Chiang Kai Chek was never a Democrat but a Fascist and admired the way the Fascist governments worked in Europe. History may repeat itself but instead of a strictly political movement it could be combined with extreme religious views with extreme rightwing political views matched with extreme religious views in the U.S. Only in the U.S., it would be Christians rather than Muslims as it is in the Middle East and elsewhere. Take a look at Middle East "new Democracies" where Islamic law has been passed and you might see the future for the U.S. but instead of Islamic law, it would be Christian law.
Well Harry, extremism in any form is bad, but America is much more balanced than that. there are as many non believers as believers and they don't intend on letting others impose religious beliefs on them, at least not in a foreseeable future, IMO.
The title of the article should say coming to your neighborhoood soon.
Hooray for France! Keep up the good work! I wish we would do that here.
This is great! I hope they deport them and many more. And I HOPE Sarkozy wins and doesn't quit the fight!