Just as France marks the 10th anniversary of the Bataclan massacres, another reminder has come of the permanence of the jihadist threat. A former girlfriend of the only jihadist to survive the November 2015 attacks has been arrested on suspicion of plotting her own violent act.
The woman - a 27 year-old French convert to Islam named as Maëva B - began a letter-writing relationship with Salah Abdeslam, 36, who is serving a life sentence in jail near the Belgian border following his conviction in 2022. When prison guards discovered that Abdeslam had been using a USB key containing jihadist propaganda, they traced its origin to face-to-face meetings that the prisoner had with Maëva B.
Detectives then looked into Maëva B's own computer and telephone, where they found evidence she may have been planning a jihadist attack, and on Monday she was placed under judicial investigation along with two alleged associates.
With France commemorating 10 years since the worst attack in its modern history, the arrest has focused minds on the enemy that never went away. On the evening of 13 November 2015, jihadist gunmen and suicide bombers conducted a sequence of coordinated attacks that culminated in a bloody raid on the Bataclan concert hall in eastern Paris.
Overall 130 people were killed, the majority at the Bataclan, and more than 400 treated in hospital. The threats have evolved, with experts suggesting a shift towards 'ambient jihadism' – a home-grown threat less reliant on organized methods of terror.
As France holds commemorations, there's a stark reminder of the lasting impact of these attacks and the continuous struggle against radicalization. The Eiffel Tower will light up in national colors to mark the occasion, symbolizing resilience in the face of ongoing threats.
The woman - a 27 year-old French convert to Islam named as Maëva B - began a letter-writing relationship with Salah Abdeslam, 36, who is serving a life sentence in jail near the Belgian border following his conviction in 2022. When prison guards discovered that Abdeslam had been using a USB key containing jihadist propaganda, they traced its origin to face-to-face meetings that the prisoner had with Maëva B.
Detectives then looked into Maëva B's own computer and telephone, where they found evidence she may have been planning a jihadist attack, and on Monday she was placed under judicial investigation along with two alleged associates.
With France commemorating 10 years since the worst attack in its modern history, the arrest has focused minds on the enemy that never went away. On the evening of 13 November 2015, jihadist gunmen and suicide bombers conducted a sequence of coordinated attacks that culminated in a bloody raid on the Bataclan concert hall in eastern Paris.
Overall 130 people were killed, the majority at the Bataclan, and more than 400 treated in hospital. The threats have evolved, with experts suggesting a shift towards 'ambient jihadism' – a home-grown threat less reliant on organized methods of terror.
As France holds commemorations, there's a stark reminder of the lasting impact of these attacks and the continuous struggle against radicalization. The Eiffel Tower will light up in national colors to mark the occasion, symbolizing resilience in the face of ongoing threats.
