Tel-Chai Nation

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- The al-Qaeda-linked group that killed 33 people in Algiers yesterday has members in Europe and is targeting France, said French presidential candidate and former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

"The principal menace to France comes from Algeria, from the GSPC network that has transformed into al-Qaeda,'' Sarkozy said today in an interview with radio station Europe 1, referring to the former Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, now called al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb. "They have members in several European countries, including France.''

Sarkozy has led every poll so far this year as he focuses his campaign on law and order issues, though rivals such as Socialist Segolene Royal have tried to blame him for increasing tensions with what she calls his harsh and alarmist language. The first round of voting is April 22, with a runoff on May 6 between the top two candidates, expected to be Sarkozy and Royal.

Sarkozy said French police arrested 138 people in 2006 on suspicion of being linked to terrorist groups, and have arrested another 32 so far this year.

He said France's opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq doesn't keep it safe. "Al-Qaeda is the adversary of democracies,'' he said. "We are menaced. What happened in London, Madrid and New York could have happened here.''

Labels: Europe, France, islam, jihad, terrorism, war on terror