Security alert as Islamists theaten Paris mayor

PARIS, January 9, 2008 - Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe has been given
extra security protection after an Islamist website used by Al-Qaeda members
listed him as a target, police said on Wednesday.

A police source said Delanoe's protection had been "slightly reinforced",
although he said the "threats are not specific and do not come from a site
linked directly to Al-Qaeda."

The Socialist mayor, who is strongly tipped for reelection in March, said
he was informed on Saturday of the threat, picked up by a US agency that
monitors Al-Qaeda messages on the Internet.

It lists Paris and its mayor as targets for attacks, with the aim of
provoking the downfall of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"We are adapting to the situation, without losing our nerve, without overly
worrying," Delanoe told French radio RTL.

One of France's few openly gay politicians, Delanoe was stabbed in an
anti-gay attack in 2002.
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