AZF (terrorist group)

AZF is the name of one or more extortionist groups in France, who had perpetrated unsuccessful attacks on the railway network SNCF since 2003/ 2004. The abbreviation AZF was not explained in their letter. The group was probably named after the AZF factory in Toulouse, which was destroyed on 21 September 2001 by an explosion.

Probably the end of 2003 threatened the AZF with bomb attacks on the French railway network with a demand of 4 million U.S. dollars and 1 million euros. Then the 32,000 route kilometers of SNCF of more than 10,000 railroad workers were screened. In an indication of the AZF a first bomb at the Paris-Toulouse route on the boundary of Folles (north of Limoges ) was found with a mixture of 2.5 kg gasoline and ammonium nitrate. The site was next to the diversion of a 5 km long railway line for uranium deposit COGEMA in Bessines.

In March 2004, a second bomb was found on the boundary of Montiéramey near Troyes, in the forest Grand Orient, just before March 24, the AZF waived by itself on further actions. Due to the different design of the bombs, however, the investigators expressed doubts about the authorship of the AZF.

In October 2004, a union rose called AZF ransom against several food companies such as Coca -Cola under the threat of poison attacks. There is no evidence that this is the same group.

On 24 March 2005, an AZF monetary claims to the French government announcement of stops for May 2005. The group used a new logo and sent to an igniter provided threatening letters to the Office of the French President and the Interior Ministry.

On April 18, 2006, another bomb was found at the TGV at St Sylvain d' Anjou. This could be a second type of bomb, which had been described in one of the letters of the first AZF group.