The director general of internal security (DGSI), Nicolas Lerner, reports numerous and diverse threats against France coming from the ultra-right, from “Sunni terrorism” or even from foreign services susceptible to actions of interference, espionage or even manipulation of information.
In an interview with “Émile magazine”, the magazine for former Sciences Po Paris, broadcast on Thursday, Mr. Lerner provides an overview of the terrorist threat since 2018, the date of his arrival at the head of the DGSI.
If he considers that the “risk of a projected attack has very significantly decreased since 2014”, he believes that it “unfortunately has not disappeared”. He notes that “in Syria and Iraq, the IS (Islamic State group) is showing resilience”, and that “in the Sahel in a context of deteriorating security situation, but also in Afghanistan, the terrorist organization is gaining ground even as Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain vibrant.
“Behind every geopolitical upheaval, there is a risk of terrorist resurgence,” he continues.
Noting that the threat has evolved “in its forms” with attacks perpetuated by isolated actors such as the fall of 2020 (three attacks in four weeks), Nicolas Lerner judges that “Sunni terrorism (…) remains a major concern” .
Asked about the ultra-right, the head of the DGSI argues that “many Western democracies consider that the ultra-right, supremacist, accelerationist threat is the main threat they face today”. “France, he adds, like all democracies is exposed to this same threat.”
“Beyond ultra-right ideologies”, he underlines the “rise of radicalism”, including in actions. A radicalism sometimes just “for itself”, guided by “an appetite for violence above all”.
Regarding international tensions, Mr. Lerner noted that in this context “where many States choose to put their interests first, in defiance of the rules of international law and at the cost of increased aggressiveness, France finds herself exposed “. For him, the situation of France (permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, bearer of a model of society…) “exposes us to numerous acts of espionage or interference, making it necessary to actively protect of our heritage and our know-how”.
With regard to the war in Ukraine, Nicolas Lerner insists on the use of the “weapon of disinformation” to try to “undermine solidarity” from Europe towards Kyiv.
Finally, he insists on the cyber threat. It is “now established, he says, that certain state services rely on criminal groups to conduct their actions or recover data”. He does not name any country, but various recent cases have highlighted Russia, China or Iran.