Sputnik: What does this latest attack mean for the people of Strasbourg and France as a whole?
Sputnik: This is the most recent terror attack in the country after a series of high profile attacks occurred in different parts of the country. Does France have a problem with terrorism?
Robert Spencer: France has a very serious problem with terrorism. The French interior minister said yesterday that Cherif Chekatt, the Strasbourg murderer, was being watched in a relatively serious manner which means he wasn't being watched at all because obviously, he was able to carry out this attack and French authorities had gone to arrest him that day but couldn't find him. The French security forces have said that there are 12,000 people on their list for suspected Islamist views and 4,000 of those are considered problematic and they have said it would be impossible for them to keep an eye on them.
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Robert Spencer: We have to remember that Cherif Chekatt was born in France and raised in France and yet he was raised in an Islamic enclave where Islamic law is the de facto law of the area and French law is not only ignored but despised. The French authorities need to acknowledge the fact that there are such areas in France and enforce the idea that there is one law for all people and that if you want to live in France you must obey French law.
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