France issues highest national security alert level following Moscow terrorist attack

The French government announced Sunday that the national security alert system, Vigipirate, would be elevated to its highest level in response to the recent terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow that killed more than 130 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal made an announcement on X (formerly Twitter) following a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron and senior security and defense officials. He stated that in light of the attack and potential threats to France, the government decided to elevate the Vigipirate status to the highest level: attack emergency.

Vigipirate, established in 1978 under the purview of the prime minister, consists of three levels: vigilance, heightened security/risk of attack, and attack emergency. The highest level, attack emergency, is implemented immediately following an attack or when an identified and unlocated terrorist group takes action.

The attack emergency status facilitates the mobilization of resources and enables prompt transmission of information to safeguard citizens in a crisis situation for a limited amount of time.

This decision to raise the national security alert level is one of the security measures ahead of the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Paris this summer. With the event drawing near, French authorities have been finalizing their plans to ensure the safety and security of participants and spectators during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities across the country.

The last instance of France elevating its national security alert level to the highest level occurred on October 13, 2023, following the stabbing death of a teacher in an apparent Islamist attack.