Prince of Fire

a translator as well. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”
    T HE PRESIDENT OF THE French Republic was at that moment meeting with the German chancellor in the ornate Lounge of Portraits in the Élysée Palace. An aide-de-camp slipped quietly into the room and murmured a few words directly into his ear. The French leader could not hide his irritation at being interrupted by a man he loathed.
    “Does it have to be now?”
    “He says it’s a security matter of the highest priority.”
    The president stood and looked down at his guest. “Will you excuse me, Chancellor?”
    Tall and elegant in his dark suit, the Frenchman followed his aide into a private anteroom. A moment later the call was routed through.
    “Good afternoon, Mr. Prime Minister. I take it this isn’t a social call?”
    “No, Mr. President, it isn’t. I’m afraid I have become aware of a grave threat against your country.”
    “I assume this threat is terrorist in nature?”
    “It is, indeed.”
    “How imminent? Weeks? Days?”
    “Hours, Mr. President.”
    “ Hours? Why am I being told of this only now?”
    “We’ve just become aware of the threat ourselves.”
    “Do you know any operational details?”
    “Only the time. We believe a Palestinian terror cell intends to strike at seven this evening. Paris is the most likely target, but we can’t say for certain.”
    “Please, Mr. Prime Minister. Tell me everything you know.”
    The prime minister spoke for two minutes. When he was finished, the French president said, “Why do I get the sense I’m being told only part of the story?”
    “I’m afraid we know only part of the story.”
    “Why didn’t you tell us you were pursuing a suspect on French soil?”
    “There wasn’t time for a formal consultation, Mr. President. It fell into the category of a hot pursuit.”
    “And what about the Italians? Have you informed them that you have a suspect in a bombing that took place on Italian soil?”
    “No, Mr. President, we haven’t.”
    “What a surprise,” the Frenchman said. “Do you have photographs that might help us identify any of the potential bombers?”
    “I’m afraid we do not.”
    “I don’t suppose you’d care to send along a photo of your missing agent.”
    “Under the circumstances—”
    “I thought that would be your answer,” the Frenchman said. “I’m dispatching my ambassador to your office. I’m confident he will receive a full and frank briefing on this entire matter.”
    “He will indeed, sir.”
    “Something tells me there will be fallout from this affair, but first things first. I’ll be in touch.”
    “Good luck, Mr. President.”
    The French leader slammed down the phone and looked at his aide. “Convene the Group Napoleon immediately,” he said. “I’ll deal with the chancellor.”
    T WENTY MINUTES AFTER hanging up, the president of France was taking his usual seat at the cabinet table in the Salon Murat. Gathered around him were the members of Group Napoleon, a streamlined team of senior intelligence and security officials and cabinet ministers, designed for dealing with imminent threats to the French homeland. Seated directly across the expansive table was the prime minister. Between the two men was an ornate double-faced brass clock. It read 4:35 P . M .
    The president opened the meeting with a concise recounting of what he had just learned. There followed several minutes of somewhat heated discussion, for the source of the information, the Israeli prime minister, was a distinctly unpopular man in Paris. In the end, though, every member of the group concluded that the threat was too credible to ignore. “Obviously, gentlemen, we need to increase the threat level and take precautions,” the president said. “How high do we go?”
    In the aftermath of al-Qaeda’s attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the government of France devised a four-tiered color-coded system similar to that of the United States. On that afternoon the level stood at Orange, the second level, with only Yellow being lower. The third level, Red, would automatically close vast stretches of French airspace and put in place additional security precautions in the transit systems and at French landmarks such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. The highest level, Scarlet, would virtually shut down the country, including its water supply and power grid. No member of Group Napoleon was prepared to do that based on a warning from the Israelis.