Geneva on security alert as Paris attacks suspects hunted

Swiss police have raised the alert level in the city of Geneva as they step up manhunt for suspects of the deadly November 13 attacks in the French capital, Paris.

“The Geneva police, on the basis of this information, have increased their level of vigilance and reinforced the number of police agents on the ground,” the Geneva department of security said in a statement released on Thursday.

Meanwhile, an unnamed security guard at the UN headquarters in Geneva said that Swiss authorities were searching for “four guys” assumed to be there.

Another unidentified UN guard also noted that the alert level was “maximum” in the Swiss city.

UN security guards were stationed with MP5 sub-machine guns at entry points for cars to the UN complex in Geneva as the search continues, according to reports.

The suspects were identified by Swiss federal authorities in connection with probes into the Paris horrendous assaults.

However, it remained unclear whether the suspects were directly linked to the terror attacks or not.

On November 13, assailants struck at least six different venues in and around the French capital, leaving 130 people dead and over 350 others wounded.

The attacks were claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is currently carrying out atrocities in parts of Syria and Iraq under its control.

Swiss and French officials say they have been cooperating closely since the Paris attacks.

France introduced a state of emergency following the assaults. Last week, the West European country drew up a draft law to extend state of emergency for up to six months from the current three-month limit.

The proposed change to France’s constitution says exceptional measures adopted during a state of emergency could be prolonged “for a maximum period of six months” after the expiry of the original state of emergency.

Elsewhere, the Belgian capital city of Brussels was also placed on the maximum level “four” in the government’s threat scale for several days.

The Belgian government’s crisis center announced the decision after a meeting of top ministers, officials with security services and police in the European state over lingering fears of an imminent terrorist attack.