Some 90,000 police officers will be deployed across France on New Year’s Eve amid fears of a terror attack, domestic intelligence chief Celine Berthon has said.
There will be 6,000 officers on the streets of Paris, where over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees, according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
Mr Darmanin warned reporters that there is a "very high terrorist threat" in France partly due to "what is happening in Israel and Palestine," referring to the Israel-Hamas war.
For the first time, police will be able to use drones as part of their security work and tens of thousands of firefighters and 5,000 soldiers will also be deployed.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be at the heart of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the French capital and DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe will help mark the occasion.
The tight security comes after a tourist was killed in a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on December 2.
Large-scale attacks — such as that at the Bataclan in 2015, when Islamic extremists invaded the music hall and shot up cafe terraces, killing 130 people — also loom in the memory.
The recent knife attack raised concern in France and abroad about security for the Olympic Games that begin July 26, in just under seven months. But law enforcement officials appear eager to show off a security-ready Paris.
