France faces 'unprecedented' terror threat, say officials

The threat of a jihadist attack in France has reached a level "without precedent" and new attacks are inevitable, according to top counter-terrorism officials.
      
"The threat is permanent," said one high-level official in the defence ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity.        

"Not one day goes by without an alert, the discovery of a network trying to send people to Syria or Iraq, or an intervention (by the security services).
      
"The number of targets has exploded. There are two or three thousand, maybe four thousand, people identified or suspected of evil intentions."       

Nor are they all amateurs, the source added -- many are highly educated. "They are pros, not drop-outs," he said.
      
Defence ministry specialists say the jihadists "use the best encryption and concealment techniques" and that security services are "playing catch-up".        

"Every time we get our hands on a network, we see they are each using seven or eight SIM cards, changing them constantly. And the most cunning don't go near phones at all -- they use messengers."       
The biggest concerns relate to the estimated 200 individuals who have returned from training or fighting in areas held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
      
"They have lost all inhibitions about violence," said another top counter-terrorism official, also speaking on condition of anonymity.        

Security services place them under the tightest possible surveillance, but resources are limited and the authorities are also painfully aware that militants may wait years before acting.        

That was the case with the Kouachi brothers who carried out the attack on Charlie Hebdo satirical...