MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A national counter-terrorism center, established by French President Emmanuel Macron, is starting to demonstrate its effectiveness, Cristophe Castaner, the spokesman for the government, said Sunday, adding that a certain number of potential attacks in France has been thwarted.
"The creation of the information department on terrorism, reporting directly to the president of the Republic, the 'task force,' is starting to show its effectiveness. We have foiled a certain number of potential attacks in our country. A certain plural number,… I will not go into details," Castaner told the BFMTV broadcaster.
On June 7, the Elysee Palace announced that Macron had ordered to establish the national counter-terror task force under his direct supervision, thus fulfilling his presidential campaign promise.
In July, the French parliament voted to extend the state of emergency in the country until November, a measure first imposed after several attacks in Paris in 2015.