Toulouse Murders results in the Arrest of 19 Islamic Militants

Following the recent attacks at a Toulouse, France Jewish school that resulted in the deaths of four people including three young children, 19 suspected Islamic militants were arrested on March 30 by French commandos in a series of raids in several French cities, including Toulouse.

France’s Interior Minister Claude Gueant explained that those arrested in the raids had paramilitary-type training, but he would not comment on whether or not they were planning an actual attack.

Five rifles, three Kalashnikovs, four handguns and a bullet-proof vest were seized in the operation, Gueant said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy explained that the raids were important to help secure his country's security.

"It's our duty to guarantee the security of the French people," said the president. "We have no choice. It's absolutely indispensable."

The assailant at the Ozar Hatorah School, Mohammed Merah, a French citizen of Algerian origin, was buried on March 29 just outside of Toulouse, despite objections from the mayor of Toulouse. His final resting place was determined after Algerian officials would not allow Merah’s body into the country for fear of security problems.

In the week prior to his murder spree at the school in Toulouse, Merah killed three French soldiers for having served in Afghanistan.