(JTA) — Following a sweep of arrests of suspected Islamic militants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy compared the fatal attack outside a Jewish school in Toulouse to the trauma of 9/11.
The trauma was “very deep in our country,” said Sarkozy, who is facing an uphill re-election battle. He added that it was "a bit like the trauma that followed in the U.S. and New York after 9⁄11."
Police commandos reportedly arrested about 20 people and seized weapons during the Friday-morning raids in Toulouse and other cities. Sarkozy promised more action in the weeks ahead.
A BBC report indicated that Friday’s arrests were not directly related to the shootings in Toulose and a nearby city that left four Jews and three soldiers dead.
“The minister of the Interior and the minister of Foreign Affairs have taken the decision to forbid a certain number of predators on French soil,” Sarkozy said. “We don’t want people who have values contrary to those of the republic being invited on French territory.”
