Fears France's First Lady May be 'Priority Target' of Al Qaeda

The Elysee Palace did not comment on details of security arrangements for the president and his wife. The security alert comes a month after France's domestic intelligence cheif Bernard Squarcini warned that the recent burqa ban had 'seriously increased' the threat of a major terrorist attack on French soil and that 'all the red lights were flashing'.

'France's role in Afghanistan, its foreign policy and the debate over the law banning the burqa have all increased the risk,' he said.

'We foil an average of two planned attacks per year, but one day or another, we're going to get hit.

'The risk of a terrorist attack on French soil has never been higher and that objectively, there are reasons for worry.'

France voted through a new law banning the burqa last month, leading to threats of revenge from radical Islamic groups.

Leaders of Al Qaeda's North African network wrote on an Islamic extremist website: 'We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honour of our daughters and sisters.'

French security chiefs said this week that government agencies were in a state of contstant readiness to thwart all terrorist threats and the terror alert level remained high.