Beginning of a wave of violence

10 years after “Charlie Hebdo” terror threat high

"Je suis Charlie" became a symbol of solidarity with "Charlie Hebdo"(Bild: APA/AFP/Anne-Christine POUJOULAT)

Ten years ago, the attack on the satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" shook France. It marked the beginning of a series of Islamist attacks in which over 250 people lost their lives in 2015 and 2016. These included the attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis in November 2015 with 130 victims and the truck attack in Nice in July 2016, which claimed the lives of 86 people. The risk of attack remains high.

January 7 marked the anniversary of the attack on the editorial office of the satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris, which had previously published controversial cartoons of Muhammad and was therefore threatened by Islamists.

Ten years ago, two attackers stormed the editorial offices, shot and killed a total of twelve people there and during their escape. Several of France's best-known cartoonists were shot dead in the attack. The attack triggered an unprecedented wave of solidarity worldwide under the motto "I am Charlie" - an international outcry for freedom of expression.

The archive photos from January 8, 2015 show (from left to top) the deputy editor-in-chief of the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo", Bernard Maris, and the cartoonists Georges Wolinski, Jean Cabut, also known as Cabu, Charb, Tignous and Honore (Philippe Honore). They were murdered in the attack.(Bild: APA/AFP/FRANCOIS GUILLOT, Guillaume BAPTISTE)

The French security authorities are currently monitoring two developments in the threat posed by Islamists with particular concern: the impact of the major attack on Israel by the militant Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the resulting war in the Gaza Strip - and the situation in Syria following the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad and the subsequent takeover of power by Islamists in December.

Escalation in the Middle East has an exacerbating effect
The escalation in the Middle East is exacerbating the threat in France and throughout Europe, according to the French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office PNAT (Parquet national antiterroriste). Between January and the beginning of December 2024, the authority's investigators opened 59 jihadism cases, significantly more than in the previous three years.

In August 2024, an arson attack was carried out on a synagogue in the southern French resort of La Grande-Motte; the suspected perpetrator was wearing a Palestinian flag wrapped around his hips. It was the only violent anti-Semitic attack in France since October 2023. However, counter-terrorism investigators warn that the events in Israel and the Gaza Strip have "greatly incited" Islamists and jihadists.

Investigators are particularly concerned about the situation in Syria because there are fears of a resurgence of IS (Islamic State) following the takeover of power by Assad's opponents led by the Islamist militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

On January 11, 2015, at the end of the unity demonstration "Marche Républicaine" in Paris, people gathered at a makeshift memorial near the headquarters of the satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo".(Bild: APA/AFP/Joël SAGET)

Chameleon IS
A few years ago, IS took control of large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq. In the Kurdish-controlled areas in north-eastern Syria, captured IS fighters and their relatives are still being held in camps, including 150 French nationals. It remains to be seen what will happen to them after Assad's fall.

The capabilities of IS have changed considerably over the past decade. The IS attacks from 2015 onwards were planned from a command structure in Iraq and Syria. Today, IS is able to directly "inspire French nationals to commit acts of violence", according to the French Directorate-General for Internal Security (DGSI).

According to the experts, it is particularly remarkable that significantly younger people in France are now susceptible to jihadism. Ten years ago, it was mainly Islamists who had been anchored in a radical ideology for some time who posed a threat to France, as well as young people who were attracted by the "Syrian dream", i.e. the self-proclaimed IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

Radicalization of minors
Today, more minors are becoming radicalized. "Some", but not all, come from Muslim families, according to the anti-terror prosecutor's office. A few years ago, there were only a handful of investigations against minors on suspicion of terrorism, compared to 15 in 2023 and 18 in 2024. They turn to Islamist extremism online, where they consume "a large amount of violent imagery".

In addition to Islamism, French counter-terrorism investigators are also concerned about right-wing extremism. In the past decade, they have opened 15 investigations into right-wing extremist plans of violence, four of which are still ongoing. One of them relates to the "projet Azur", a plan to overthrow the French government that became public in 2020. No investigations into right-wing terrorism were opened in 2024. However, the investigators say they remain "extremely vigilant", not least due to events in the USA and Germany.