The latest attack in France by a gunman who was known to be a potential threat has led to renewed focus on how the country keeps track of suspected Islamist extremists
Keeping an eye on 20,000 extremists
France’s interior ministry compiles something known as the “S file” (the “S” stands for security) which contains anyone suspected of being a radical, including potentially dangerous leftist and far-right activists. There is also a separate list, the File for the Prevention of Terrorist Radicalisation (FSPRT), for people judged to be terror threats. A total of 19,745 were listed in the FSPRT as of February 20
Suspect for not shaking hands with a woman
The file includes people who represent varying degrees of threat, from someone who is reported by his boss for not shaking hands with women to a minor who has recently converted to Islam. But there are more serious cases of people in contact with members of the Islamic State (IS) group, or others who have left for or wanted to travel to areas controlled by IS in Iraq or Syria
Once listed, a person will remain on the list for five years but might not be actively monitored. The file also contains records of potential links between suspects, according to AFP. It updates gradually, as cases are reported by the security services or via calls to the toll-free tipline that launched in April 2014
Most from immigrant communities
Majority of the suspects are young men from the suburbs around cities where low-income immigrant communities, many from Muslim countries, are concentrated. But security experts have warned for years that France does not have the resources needed to put all of its suspected jihadists under round-theclock surveillance