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France to reinforce Thalys train security after Paris attacks

Xinhua, November 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

France is to install security gates at the Paris and Lille stations serving high-speed Thalys trains which link Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, a government official said on Tuesday.

"The government's decision is to install gates in Paris and Lille before Dec. 20," French energy minister Segolene Royale told radio station France Inter.

Royale, who also oversees the country's transport portfolio, also pledged to increase ticket and luggage controls in addition to requiring passengers' names be printed on all international train tickets.

Security concerns on trains rose in the wake of the latest Paris attacks on Nov. 13 which claimed the lives of 130 people. According to reports, the mastermind behind the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, travelled freely from Syria to Brussels and France.

The high-speed train company, Thalys, was also the target of a foiled terrorist attack in August when a suspected militant planned to attack passengers before being overpowered by three American passengers.

France declared a state of emergency on Nov. 14 after three coordinated groups claiming links with the Islamic State (IS) targeted restaurants, a packed concert hall and a national soccer stadium where French President Francois Hollande was attending a friendly game between France and Germany. Endit