The intelligence comes from Saudi officials, who reported threats from al-Qaida members in the Arabian Peninsula.
"Several days ago the Saudi services alerted their European counterparts that there was a terrorist threat on the continent, notably in France," Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Sunday in a joint radio and television interview, CNN reported.
"The threat is real and our vigilance is intact," he said.
Jacques Brinon, AP
Soldiers patrol at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday. French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Sunday that France has received new warnings of a terror threat in Europe, "notably France," from Saudi intelligence services.
The newest threat comes during a time of heightened security in Europe. In September, France warned its citizens about traveling to Britain, saying the risk of terror attacks was "highly likely." Germany also issued travel warnings, as has the U.S. State Department.
"I can tell you -- and it's not information that's been made public yet -- that even a few hours, a few days ago, [we received] a new message, from the Saudi [intelligence] services, indicating to us that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was certainly active," Hortefeux said, according to the BBC.
The newest warning is apparently not connected to the September alert, which was based on a tip from Algeria that a female suicide bomber was plotting to attack the French transportation system, Britain's SkyNews said.
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The warning could add to travel chaos in France caused by striking union members who are blocking access to oil refineries and fuel depots, causing service stations to run out of gas. In a series of mass demonstrations across the country that began last week, workers are protesting the government's plan to raise the national retirement age from 60 to 62, CNN reported.Fearing more protests and fuel blockades, French civil aviation authorities asked airline operators to reduce flights on Tuesday into Orly airport outside Paris by 50 percent , and by 30 percent at all other airports, The New York Times reported. The airline announcement came as high school students clashed with police today and protesters blocked two main highways.