PARIS
French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that he took seriously a threat by an al-Qaida offshoot to attack French interests around the world.
In a video message on YouTube, a senior figure with the Al Qaida in the Islamic Magreb, or AQIM, said the French military intervention in Mali made attacking the French interests "legitimate."
"We take AQIM's threat seriously" said Hollande, during a joint press conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski at the Elysee Palace.
Hollande also warned that although most of the radical forces in Mali were eliminated, the country was still under threat of terrorism.
He added that France would continue to fight against terrorism in Mali despite a decrease in the number of French troops there.
