The director of French domestic intelligence agency (DST) warned Wednesday that some terrorist networks are preparing hostile projects against France.

The terrorism threat in France is "unfortunately a real concern, " Pierre de Bousquet de Florian told RTL radio.

According to him, part of the current threat could be traced to Iraq.

"For the past two years, at a fairly regular pace, we have seen young French nationals and French residents leaving for Iraq," he said.

"When they return, if they return, they are experienced and determined enough to represent a threat on our territory. We do not want France to become a land of jihad," he said.

He said the French intelligence services were aware of, and were monitoring some of the channels used to recruit young Islamic warriors in France and tried to prevent youths from leaving for Iraq whenever possible.

The intelligence leader ruled out any involvement by Islamic extremists in the recent wave of rioting in high-immigration French suburbs, saying that although some extremists were thought to have supported the rioters, "it is not their fight".

France's parliament on Wednesday started debating a new anti- terrorism law bill sponsored by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

The new legislation, drawn up in the wake of London bombings in July and approved by the French cabinet last month, aims to give the authorities greater access to modern technological tools in investigating terrorism cases.

Source: Xinhua