Armed police hunt four Paris massacre suspects near the UN building in Geneva – as Switzerland raises its terror threat level
- UN security guards stationed with MP5 sub-machine guns at entry points
- One said police were searching for 'four guys' believed to be in the area
- Geneva officials raised alert level and put extra police officers on ground
- See full coverage of the Paris attacks at www.dailymail.co.uk/ParisAttacks
PUBLISHED: 06:50 EST, 10 December 2015 | UPDATED: 13:08 EST, 10 December 2015
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Armed police are hunting four suspects wanted over the Paris massacre near the United Nations headquarters in Switzerland.
UN security guards are stationed with MP5 sub-machine guns at entry points for cars, a highly unusual measure at the sprawling complex.
One guard said Swiss authorities were searching for 'four guys' believed to be in the area.
'It is maximum alert,' said a second guard at the European headquarters of the world body.
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Swiss police officers search a car at Geneva airport after the authorities said they were 'actively searching' for suspects in connection with an investigation into the Paris attacks last month
UN security officers guard the European headquarters of the UN during a high level of alert in Geneva
'Maximum alert': An UN security officer guards the area of the European headquarters of the United Nations as Swiss authorities hunt four suspects wanted over the Paris massacre in Geneva
Geneva officials raised the level of alert and said police were 'actively searching' for suspects identified by Swiss federal authorities in connection with the Paris attacks last month.
Geneva's security department said city authorities received word yesterday that Swiss federal authorities had flagged 'suspicious individuals susceptible to being in Geneva or the Geneva region.'
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It added: 'The Geneva police, on the basis of this information, have increased their level of vigilance and reinforced the number of police agents on the ground.'
Geneva police have also deployed more officers at the city's train station and airport.
A Swiss police officer on patrol in front of the Russian mission due to a high level of alert in Geneva
Geneva's security department said city authorities received word yesterday that Swiss federal authorities had flagged 'suspicious individuals susceptible to being in Geneva or the Geneva region'
Security at UN in Geneva beefed up as city is on alert
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'We have gone from a vague threat to a specific one,' Emmanuelle Lo Verso, a spokeswoman for the security department, said.
She declined to comment on news reports indicating that either four or six suspects were being sought or say whether French or other foreign authorities had pointed out the suspects.
The shooting and bomb attacks by ISIS militants killed 130 people in the French capital on November 13.
Police in several European countries are still searching for individuals believed to have been involved in the attacks or in their planning.
Police are still hunting for Europe's most wanted Salah Abdeslam (pictured) and fellow suspect Mohammed Abrini, both who were seen driving towards the Belgian border
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's office said the men, carrying bogus IDs with the names of Soufiane Kayal (left) and Samir Bouzid, (right) were travelling in a Mercedes with another at-large suspect, Salah Abdeslam
It was not immediately clear from the Geneva statement, however, whether the suspects were directly linked to the Paris attacks.
A Geneva spokeswoman said she had no further comment.
The prime suspect in the attacks, Salah Abdeslam, has been on the run since being stopped by police on the Belgian border and then let go a day after the massacre.
Police are also hunting fellow suspect Mohammed Abrini, who was seen driving towards the Belgian border with Abdeslam.
Belgian authorities are searching for two new suspects Samir Bouzid and Soufiane Kayal in the Paris attacks investigation, both of whom used fake identity cards
Mohamed Abrini (pictured bottom left in a mugshot and right on CCTV at the petrol station) was filmed driving with Europe's most wanted man Salah Abdeslam and is thought to have fought in Syria
Last week, Belgian authorities also released the identities of two new suspects, both of whom used fake identity cards.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's office said the men, carrying bogus IDs with the names of Samir Bouzid and Soufiane Kayal, were travelling in a Mercedes with Abdeslam, when the car was checked on September 9 at the Hungarian-Austrian border.
The Kayal identity was used to rent a house in the Belgian town of Auvelais that authorities searched as a possible site for making the suicide bombs used in the November 13 attacks in Paris.
Belgian authorities said the false ID in the name of Bouzid was used at a Western Union office in the Brussels area at about 6pm on November 17.
The suspect sent a 750-euro (£540) money order to Hasna Ait Boulhacen, cousin of the purposed attack ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
Boulhacen and Abaaoud died on November 18 when French police stormed their hideout in a Paris suburb.
