Life is slowly returning to normal for the people of Paris three weeks after gunmen unleashed terror on the streets of one of the world’s most popular cities.
On Friday night, a bar in one of the city’s trendier districts reopened to the public. It had been the scene of a deadly jihadist attack where five people died on November 13 but on Friday night it was buzzing with a defiant, happy crowd filing through its doors.
Just as Paris moves on from the attacks of November 13, so too does Islamic State, the terror group behind the violence. And intelligence officials say they know where IS plans to strike next.
European security officials said British IS fighters have been asked by senior operatives within the group to return home to the United Kingdom to carry out attacks there as a follow-up to the Paris attacks.
CNN reported no specific location or time frame has been identified but concerns have increased following Wednesday’s decision by British parliament to bomb IS targets in Syria.
British newspaper the Daily Express reported IS is “likely to target Christmas shoppers in its next attack”.
The newspaper quoted Will Geddes, head of global security firm International Corporate Protection: “None of us are safe anywhere unless you are on a remote island”.
Mr Geddes said extremists are planning lone wolf attacks on the streets of London similar to those carried out at the holiday resort of Sousse in Tunisia.
“For groups like ISIS they want a maximum media impact with any horrific attack that has people begging to return to their home nations,” he said.
“We may or may not see those threats moving more inland to major cities as one would expect from any terrorist group. These risks may be moving more into central locations.”
Britain has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria. The Guardian reported the first air strikes targeted oilfields controlled by IS for more than a year.
