The Daily Fix: Thousands of Soldiers Deployed to Protect ‘Sensitive Sites’ in France
In response to last week’s attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, France has put 10,000 troops at what the defense minister called “sensitive sites” across the country, including Jewish schools and synagogues, The New York Times reported.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that the government is considering legislation to increase surveillance abilities and expressed concern over French people communicating with jihadist movements online and then traveling to Syria and Iraq.
In the aftermath of the attacks, police suspect there may be a terrorist cell in France. According to The Associated Press, law enforcement officers are searching for a Mini Cooper that belonged to Hayat Boumeddiene. Boumeddiene is the widow of Amedy Coulibaly, a friend of Charlie Hebdo shooters Cherif and Said Kouachi. On the day the Kouachi brothers attacked Charlie Hebdo’s offices, Coulibaly shot a police officer and then took hostages at a Jewish grocery store.
Contributing to the sense of fear and dread are new threats from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African branch of the terrorist group, which published a warning online this week.
“France pays the cost of its violence on Muslim countries and the violation of their sanctity,” CNN reported the group as saying in a statement.
In other news…
Hackers Strike CENTCOM: The U.S. Central Command’s Twitter feed and YouTube accounts were taken over by hackers expressing sympathy for the Islamic State. CENTCOM said it views the attacks as “cybervandalism.” (via The Washington Post)
Crowd Control: After Ohio State’s football team won the national championship on Monday, Columbus police used pepper spray and tear gas to break up celebrating crowds. (via Columbus Dispatch)
Measles Mouse: Twenty-six people who visited Disneyland or California Adventure Park between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20 have come down with measles, a viral disease that can be prevented by vaccination, according to the California Department of Health. (via Reuters)
Caught in a Choke Hold: A report by the New York Police Department’s inspector general found that officers routinely use choke holds, even though the department bans the move. Last year an officer killed Staten Island resident Eric Garner after applying a choke hold. (via The Huffington Post)
Gay Marriage in South Dakota: A South Dakota judge overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage on Monday. (via NBC News)
Cops Charged With Murder: Amid protests and outrage, two Albuquerque, New Mexico, police officers have been charged with the death of a homeless man. Video from an officer’s helmet cam appears to show that the man surrendered before officers shot and killed him. (via Al Jazeera)
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Related stories on TakePart:
• The Daily Fix: After the Paris Massacre, German Group Holds Anti-Islam Demonstrations
• Boko Haram Recruited Little Girls as Suicide Bombers
• French Authorities Search for Woman Linked to Terror Attacks
Original article from TakePart
