Terrorist groups - foreign based:
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA): aim(s): establish an independent Basque homeland based on Marxist principles in what is now southwestern France and northern Spain area(s) of operation: maintains a presence in the southwest, where the French and Spanish governments collaborate to arrest members and demand disarmament before engaging in negotiations; responsible for hundreds of deaths in France since it inception in 1959; continues to refrain from conducting attacks since its 20 October 2011 communique declaring a permanent cessation of violence, but had not formally disbanded or given up its weapons arsenal by early 2017; 79 members are currently in French prisons, with an unknown number present in the country; remains outlawed in France
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL): aim(s): destabilize France's economy and government area(s) of operation: remains operational with known activities in at least Paris, Lyon, Nice, Tours, and Magnanville, where ISIL has either directed or inspired lethal attacks; three coordinated teams of suicide bombers and shooters conducted attacks on 13 November 2015 in Paris and its northern suburb Saint-Denis, killing at least 130 people and wounding approximately 360; as of early 2017, approximately 1,800 to 1,850 French citizens were fighting in Syria or Iraq alongside ISIL, planning to go to fight, or had returned from the fight; France is a top source country in Europe for ISIL recruits; recruits heavily in prisons