France is preparing for a terror strike targeting London, it has been claimed. Considered one of the UK’s closest allies and security partners, French diploments are understood to have undertaken a ‘crisis management’ exercise to help prepare for a massive incident in the city as global tensions around the Iran war continue to rise.
A French crisis response blueprint is understood to cover all contingencies, including a potential terror attack involving French citizens in London, reports the Standard. French consular staff also participated in the ‘crisis room’ at the embassy in west London. These teams would offer support to victims and their families and have the authority to give out passports to French citizens and arrange repatriation flights.
If an attack in the capital was to take place the French government’s Centre de Crise et Soutien (CDCS – Crisis and Support Centre) based in Paris would guide The Embassy of France in Knightsbridge.
Under plans for handling a particularly serious incident, or one affecting a large number of French citizens, CDCS agents could be flown in to support the response effort.
French diplomats would work together with the British authorities. They already have a long history of working closely with the UK Government, with France and Britain also seconding police and military officers to one another’s ministries.
French consular staff and diplomats also work with British authorities on policing borders, managing immigration, and responding to security threats.
There are about 300,000 French citizens in the UK, with roughly half of the French-born population living in London.
French citizens who have been living in the UK for more than six months should register with the French consulate, known as consular registration, this process simplifies administrative tasks like passport renewals, voting in French elections, and allows the consulate to send security alerts in times of an emergency.
Although not mandatory, this process is strongly recommended as it also allows consular services to contact you and your loved ones in an emergency.
This comes after Russia made a direct threat to strike British targets in London, Leicester, and Suffolk. Senior Kremlin official and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev cautioned Western leaders that the threat should be “taken literally”.
