France: 13 injured in a nail bomb blast, police launch investigation into “terror conspiracy”
A “manhunt is underway” after a nail bomb blast injured 13 people in the French city of Lyon. 11 were admitted to hospital including a ten year old child. The incident is being treated as a terror attack. Whether or not it is a jihad terror attack remains undisclosed but it is still a possibility. An investigation into “terror conspiracy” has begun. Jihad is at least publiclysuspected given a report by the UK Telegraph that highlights concern in France about Islamic State attacks…
France has been on high alert since the start of a wave of jihadist attacks began in 2015, leaving more than 250 people dead, with the Islamic State (IS) group urging followers to target soldiers and police in France. Despite the collapse of IS’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria last month, the threat of further attacks inspired by the group remains high.
In 2015, France shut down three mosques following a series of coordinated jihad attacks that killed 130 people, and injured over 400 others. One of those mosques was in the city of Lyon. The mosque was deemed to be “a known radicalizer”.
Although this case may well turn out to be an isolated attack, France’s leader Emmanuel Macronis ill equipped to promote national stability.
Over 250 people have been killed in jihad attacks in France since 2015, and over 900 injured, but yet Macron downplays the jihad threat. He stated that “America and France must be united against the threat of climate change”, and that lawmakers should aim to support the Iran nuclear deal. Appeasing jihadists emboldens them as their goal is to expand a caliphate. Macron’s priority is not homeland security, but to promote open door immigration and advance environmental efforts. He also castigated Trump for promoting ‘nationalistic’ ideas.
Oddly last month, in a sudden U-turn, presumably to offset the the popularity of his anti-globalist opponent Marine LePen just prior to elections, Macron vowed an “intractable fight against political Islam” but he provided no explanation of how he intended to fight it, beyond lip service.
“Manhunt underway after 13 injured in ‘nail bomb’ blast in French city of Lyon”, by Henry Samuel, The Telegraph, May 24, 2019:
A manhunt is underway in the southeastern French city of Lyon after more than a dozen people were injured in the explosion of a “nail bomb”.The blast was caused by a “home-made bomb” in a case containing “an explosive charge and nuts and bolts”, which went off at 5.30pm local time, said the interior ministry. The explosion occurred in the centre of France’s third-largest city outside a boulangerie in rue Victor Hugo.Prosecutors have launched a terror probe into the attack.Police on Friday night issued an appeal for witnesses, publishing a grainy CCTV photo of the “dangerous” suspect, who is wearing large dark glasses and appears to be masked.It said he was “wearing a dark top, light shorts and could be moving around by bike”.According to French reports, the suspect in his early to mid-30s placed the case on the ground and made his escape on a mountain bike.An eight-year old girl was reportedly among those hit by the blast but was not seriously hurt.AFP cited police sources as saying that 13 people were injured and that 11 had been evacuated to hospital. None are in a serious condition, according to the mayor of the second arrondissement of Lyon, Denis Broliquier.Police were able to track the suspects movements across the city on CCTV. “We have his itinerary there and back,” said Mr Broliquier. They lost him, however once he crossed the Rhone river to the East of the city.The mayor said that while the bomb appeared to be the work of an “expert”, the “explosive charge was relatively weak”. Most of the injuries were caused by broken glass from a shop window.French president Emmanuel Macron confirmed there had been an “attack in Lyon” but no deaths.“My thoughts obviously go to the wounded and their families,” he said during an interview.In a sign of the seriousness of the attack, Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, cancelled his appearance at the final rally of the Macron camp in Paris ahead of Sunday’s European elections in France…..
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