France prepares for chemical attack on football fans at Euro 2016

French authorities are preparing for a range of terrorist attacks amid fears that Euro 2016 could be targeted by extremists.

Police and rescue services have been staging a series of exercises to simulate attacks at stadiums and fan zones ahead of the football tournament, which begins in June. These include preparations for a nerve gas attack, as well as a gun attack, suicide bombing and hostage situation.

Rescue workers wearing gas masks and protective suits tended to actors posing as victims at the first such exercise last month in Nimes, in the south of the country, reports The Times.

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"A similar exercise was held last week at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in St Etienne, where England will play Slovakia in their third match of the group stage," adds the newspaper.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve told AFP the exercises would help "ensure that this great sporting festival takes place in conditions of maximum security".

France remains in a state of emergency after the November terrorist attacks in Paris which killed 130 people. Another 32 people died in the attacks in neighbouring Belgium last month.

They are believed to have been carried out by the same terrorist cell and one of the Brussels attackers arrested last week has told police they had initially planned to strike France.

Mohamed Abrini, who failed to detonate his bomb at the airport, said his terrorist cell had identified the football championships as a prime target, according to French newspaper Liberation.

Despite fears, French authorities have insisted that the tournament will go ahead.

"The strongest answer to terrorists, in addition to the deployment of all intelligence and security measures, is life," said Prime Minister Manuel Valls. "The Euro should be held, and will be held."