“We are no more threatened than usual,” says security expert

Revealing these threats is a “logic of prevention” for the government but there is “not much more to do that we have not already thought of,” assures Éric Delbecque.

“We are not more threatened than usual, as we have been regularly for several years,” estimates Wednesday April 10 on franceinfo Éric Delbecque, expert in internal security and former director of security of Charlie Hebdo after the 2015 attacks and author of the essay The silencers. He reacted to the announcement made Tuesday by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, of security which would be “considerably” reinforced for the match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona, ​​Wednesday in the Champions League, after threats “characterized” attacks, broadcast by the Islamic State.

“The fact that the Islamic State is increasing threats against targets is not very new,” recalls the internal security expert, but “what is new is the international context” with the attack in Moscow on March 22, and “the approach of the Olympic Games” in 100 days. A context which “tends the spirits”. “The primary objective” for the Islamic State, according to him, is “to pose a threat, to cause anxiety and to disturb minds, to cause fear”the context is therefore perfect for “have a maximum psychological effect”. “It’s a war of attrition”he adds.

Objective of the IS: “Mobilize energies, tire out the police”

According to Éric Delbecque, however, “we are not more threatened than usual as we have been regularly for several years”, he analyzes. There is no “not much more to do that we haven’t already thought of”he says. “The numbers are already there” and the measurements are “already committed”, he recalls. “We can strengthen them a little more” but “the tension in numbers is already such that it will be played out at the margins, we are not going to go from single to double”.

“The best measure, which we have already taken within the framework of the Olympic Games, is the screening of personnel to be sure that within the operating teams, we do not have people who would be on file S for Islamist radicalism.”

Éric Delbecque, internal security expert

at franceinfo

There is no “not much more to do”, supports Éric Delbecque. With these threats, the Islamic State is in an operating mode “win-win” since he can “mobilize energies, tire out the police, exhaust politics, with a few words, a few threats and put an entire system under tension.” What interest then, for the French State to reveal these threats to the general public? “It would be quite unprofessional and disastrous for communication if anyone thought he was trying to hide something, so in those cases you actually have to be quite transparent about the threats.” in “prevention logic”.