Corsican separatists threaten tourists, anti-terror probe

An armed separatist group in Corsica has issued a direct threat to tourists and new residents, warning them to stay away from the French Mediterranean island and prompting an anti-terrorism investigation. The Corsican National Liberation Front-Union of Combatants (FLNC-UC) released a video on Thursday, August -6, showing approximately a dozen hooded and armed members delivering the warning.

In the video, a man believed to be the group's leader stated that until Corsican national rights are recognized, the group's message for those considering moving to the island is to "stay at home." The group warned that anyone purchasing a second home in Corsica "shouldn't feel safe," branding the annual influx of newcomers-which it claims numbers nearly 5,000 people, mostly from mainland France-as "rampant settlement-driven colonisation." The French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has opened a preliminary investigation into suspected conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and the possession of weapons linked to such activity following the video's release.

The threats coincide with the group's vehement rejection of a proposed constitutional bill that would grant Corsica greater...