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Too Little, Too Late? France Launches Wiretaps, Wireless Searches

CBN

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PARIS – As France works to return to normal after the deadly terror attacks that killed at least 129 people, the country's leader, Francois Hollande, is declaring war against ISIS and carrying out a new round of airstrikes Tuesday in Syria.

Addressing a joint session of parliament, President Hollande said the country is at war. He extended a state of emergency for another three months and pledged to continue the nationwide crackdown on Islamic sleeper cells like the one responsible for last Friday's horrific attacks in Paris.

Hollande also wants to strip citizenship from any Frenchman involved in terrorism, so-called homegrown terrorists.

The Eiffel Tower is lit once again, this time in the French Tricolors. That wasn't the case over the weekend. For three nights it went dark – almost a depiction of the darkness that had descended on the City of Light.

As Parisians struggle to return to normal, many can't help wondering if their government has a long-term strategy to defeat Islamic terrorism once and for all.

One Parisian named Guilliam told CBN News he's concerned about how the sweeping security crackdown may affect innocent citizens.

"I fear the consequences of all that on our lifestyle, the way safety will be enforced in our country, in our countries," he said.

For now, that crackdown means warrantless searches and wiretaps for suspect terrorists and perhaps more police on the streets and routine security checks.

Meanwhile in Syria, France dropped 20 bombs Sunday night on ISIS' de facto capital of Raqqa. While the French termed it a massive response, some military experts say that alone will not deter the Islamic State from continuing its "holy war" against the West.

Late last summer, CBN News reported that ISIS warned it had sent 4,000 jihadists to infiltrate the ranks of the thousands of migrants pouring into Europe each day.

One Muslim migrant in Sweden feared the Swedes weren't doing enough to protect the country from potential terrorists.

"Before letting them settle here, the Swedish government should check Facebook and use other means to determine if these refugees were fighters in Syria or Iraq," said Syrian migrant Aiham Jneidi.

One likely result of this terrorist attack is that some European borders may remain closed – especially to the masses of Middle Eastern migrants who are sweeping in.

But for France, a country with a large and easily radicalized youthful Muslim population, the latest measures may be too little, too late.

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