Al-Qaeda threatens to attack French ministry, Swedish embassy over Quran burning

MOSCOW - Members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) have threatened to attack a ministry in France and a Swedish embassy, reported Sputnik.

Le Figaro reported on Friday, citing the group's statement, that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced its plans in the latest issue of its magazine, Sada al-Malahim.

"Now it is apparent that Sweden, among other European countries, has chosen to lead the war against Islam and Muslims. It is running against France, Germany and others for the first place to challenge God and his messengers," the statement quoted by the media read, adding that the group was referring to the recent Quran burning incident in Sweden.

The newspaper also said that AQAP had taken responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper in 2015 in Paris.

Earlier in the week, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned of an increasing threat of terrorist attacks in the country, planned overseas, due to the "lesser presence of French and American forces in the Sahel, Levant and Afghanistan." The minister added that attacks may be carried out similar to those of 2015. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK