During his visit to the United States, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin expressed concern about the resurgence of the “Islamic terrorist” threat in Europe and called on the US government to strengthen their counterterrorism cooperation ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We are here to remind them that for Europeans and for France, the primary risk is Sunni Islamist terrorism, and counterterrorism collaboration between intelligence services is absolutely essential,” emphasized Gérald Darmanin in an interview with AFP in New York on Friday.
“Now that Americans may have a more national perspective on issues such as white supremacy, recurring shootings, and conspiracy theories, they must not forget what appears to us in Europe as the primary threat: Sunni terrorism,” Darmanin insisted.
The French Interior Minister concluded his two-day visit to Washington, New York, and the United Nations, which aimed to enhance police and judicial cooperation between France and the United States, as outlined in a 2016 agreement to combat terrorism and organized crime.
He also met with Lisa Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, before visiting the FBI training center in Quantico, Virginia.
In New York, he met with the city’s police chief, Keechant Sewell, to discuss order and security at major international events like the upcoming Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Paris in 2024.
Within this context, without mentioning specific threats, Darmanin stated that “the risk is resurfacing” in regards to “Islamic terrorism,” which seems to be targeting France and its neighboring European countries once again.