French authorities detained 80 “Islamic activists” suspected of links to terrorist recruitment cells in 2008, along with four leading figures of the Basque separatist group ETA, the interior minister said Monday.
Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie said in a New Year’s speech that 80 Islamic activists linked to alleged “cells for recruitment or training for jihad” were detained last year in France. She said the cells were dismantled, but gave no other details. It was the highest figure in recent years. The agency gave no details about the cases or any commentary on the rise.
