The tragic Charlie Hebdo terror attacks in France have sparked a general raising of security awareness across Europe.
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As the French lay to rest the dead after last week’s short reign of terror, Belgian police have also swopped on a terror cell planning murderous attacks on police, killing two and arresting another.
During the raids, a stockpile of weapons was also seized.
As satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo sells out across Europe, the printers have worked overtime to churn out more than 5 million copies.
Readers showing their support of the freedom of speech have queued with their ‘Je Suis Charlie’ banners from the early hours to buy a copy of the magazine the slaughtered cartoonists and journalists were working on last week when the terrorists struck.
Troops on streets
In Yemen, an al Qaeda spokesman has announced the jihadist organisation ordered the attacks, but security experts are unsure whether the terrorist brothers shot by police after a huge manhunt were lone militants or part of a larger terror cell.
It may be al Qaeda is simply trying to grab a slice of the worldwide publicity for their own PR purposes.
Travellers in Europe are advised to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons and to report any doubts to police.
French President Francois Hollande has ordered 10,000 armed troops on to the streets to back up police patrols to try to maintain security.
The Belgian authorities have also bordered security patrols.
Muslim protests
Elsewhere, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns that protests against the publication of Charlie Hebdo have been called after Friday prayers in many Muslim countries.
The Charlie Hebdo halo effect seems to have worked against the plans of the terrorists to inject fear of reprisal into the minds of journalists working on material that criticises the Islamic religion.
With millions across the world taking to the streets in silent, peaceful protest with their ‘Je Suis Charlie’ slogans, curiously, the shocking outrage has united many ordinary people into rethinking their attitude about Islam and the strict response to education, other religions and freedom of speech.
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