France tells citizens to be on guard in Malaysia after French beheading

KUALA LUMPUR - France has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to be vigilant in several countries including Malaysia over fears of a threat from militants from Islamic State.

The advisory comes after French tourist Hervé Gourdel was beheaded in Algeria on Wednesday by terrorists claiming to belong to Islamic State, and as local police intelligence revealed that Malaysian nationals are among those who have travelled to Syria to join the terror group.

In a posting on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website yon Thursday, French authorities advised its citizens residing in or passing through Malaysia to be extra-vigilant.

This was due to the risk of kidnappings and “hostile” acts against those from France and other member countries, which is a member of an international coalition against the “Daech”, the ministry said on its travel advice page.

“Daech” is the French spelling for the Arabic-derived term “Daesh”, which the French government started using last week to call Islamic State.

The ministry also said that French citizens living overseas should notify the nearest French consulate, while those travelling were asked to register themselves using a specific system.

In the ministry’s September 23 statement titled “French citizens abroad — Safety”, Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius was quoted saying that around 30 French embassies have been asked to “urge “ compatriots who are living or travelling abroad to increase their vigilance in the face of the terrorist threat.

The statement did not name the location of the embassies.

But on Thursday, a report carried on French news channel BFM TV’s website cited a diplomatic source as saying that 11 countries have been added to France’s watchlist, including Muslim-majority nations Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, and the Philippines.

The website of the French Embassy in Malaysia did not appear to carry the travel advisory last night (Friday).

Malaysia has designated Islamic State a terrorist group. The organisation was formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

On August 11 this year, Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post reported that Malaysian police have revealed local jihadists who joined Isamic State are now training their sights on Putrajaya.

A senior Malaysian police official was reported as saying that suspected jihadists had planned attacks on entertainment venues in Kuala Lumpur and a Carlsberg factory in Petaling Jaya..