The U.S. slow down Counter Terrorism Investigations in France

According to a French source, the United-States have their hands on most financial information in Europe and don’t share them with their French counterparts. Requests dating from last January (Charlie Hebdo attacks) or last November are still pending.

This person pointed out that every time the French solicited their American counterparts for financial transaction records, they explained that the justifications for such requests weren’t sufficient enough. For example, the French intelligence services still haven’t got any answer on accessing crucial information regarding the recent terrorist attacks that stroke Paris last November and killed 130 people.

Every time French investigators try to trace financial transactions between terrorists, they are facing a considerable problem: “Almost 80% of bank transactions are administrated by a Belgian system; SWIFT, that allows for each transaction to obtain information such as the amount, the sender, and the receiver” (…) “Yet, since 2010 the United-States have taken control over it and have a direct access to those information”, explained a source close to the Department of Finance.

see also: Terrorist Finance Tracking Program

Apparently, Belgium is not administrating financial data directly. But instead, might have opened a “back door to the Americans”. Regrettably, it seems that they are not willing to share any information. A source highly placed in the French intelligence service has been denied access to potentially compelling evidence that could boost the investigations on Paris attacks. Even though the international community flew to Paris to show their support last January after the Charlie Hebdo attack.

According to the same source, isolating such pieces of information “is far less performing as opposed to sharing them”. In consequence and in order to address this issue, European countries are contemplating various options, one of which is to consider developing a new system of transaction. He adds that they also must keep the dialogue open with the United-States if they are to find a common ground but also should study the idea in all seriousness to create their own.

Source: L’Express

The U.S. slow down Counter Terrorism Investigations in France