Threat Thwarted?

In the wake of the July 7 attacks in London, Europe's governments continue to sweep their communities for potential terrorists. Last week, French police raids in suburban Paris and the city of Evreux in Normandy bagged nine alleged extremists linked to Algeria's terrorist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). And while nearly everyone in France agrees the threat is serious, there are quibbles about how imminent it is. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy proclaimed that the risk of an attack "is at a very high level."

Some see in that remark political opportunism, or at least exaggeration. "The...