France steps up security in public places after beheading of French citizen

France is to increase security in public places and on public transport in the wake of the beheading of a French mountain guide in Algeria and threats against French citizens by jihadists. The new measures were announced on Thursday after the president called an emergency meeting of the defence council. Meanwhile France is continuing its bombing raids against ISIL targets in Iraq and has pledged to increase support for Syrian opposition fighters. The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France refused to be intimidated by extremists: “France will never give in, France does not give into intimidation, that’s the reaction we owe our fellow citizen who was assassinated.”