France is hiring 2,600 new counterterrorism officers

(Image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

published 21 January 2015

The French government plans to spend $490 million over three years in response to the Paris attacks. Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced Wednesday that the country will hire 2,600 new counter-terrorism officers, and its security forces will be armed with better weapons to fight terror.

French surveillance agents will also monitor 3,000 people with ties to France, both inside and outside the country. The news comes as France charged four men who are allegedly linked to Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a police officer and held hostages at a kosher supermarket.