Wave of Islamic State Attacks in France Predicted

FILE - French police officers stand guard near the church of Sacre Coeur, on top of Montmartre hill, in Paris, Nov. 18, 2015, days after coordinated terrorist attacks killed 130 people in the French capital.

Islamic State militants are gearing up for a "campaign of terrorist attacks" in France that are likely to see explosive devices placed around areas with large crowds, the head of France's DGSI internal intelligence agency has warned.

The rare remarks by Patrick Calvar to the parliament's defense committee came ahead of the Euro 2016 football [soccer] championship in France and six months after militants killed 130 people in coordinated assaults on cafes, bars, a football stadium and a music hall across Paris.

"Clearly, France is the most threatened and we know that Daesh [Islamic State] is planning new attacks," Calvar told the committee on May 10 in a transcript of his testimony released to the media on Thursday.