4 Men In Paris Court Are 1st To Face Terror Attacks Charges

French anti-terror prosecutors sought Tuesday to charge four men in connection with the attacks in Paris that left 20 people dead, which would be the first suspects charged in the country’s bloodiest terrorist attacks in decades.

The four men awaited an anti-terror judge’s decision early Wednesday on whether to open preliminary investigations against them.

The possible charges were expected just hours before the French government was to unveil new measures aimed at helping head off future attacks, giving police more power to tap phones, monitor Web sites and force Internet companies to block messages of hate posted online.

Prime minister Manuel Valls will present new security measures Wednesday that will include efforts to increase intelligence-gathering against jihadis and other radicals, block their activities on the Internet, and prevent them from collaborating inside prisons or traveling abroad to fight, President Francois Hollande said.

Belgium launched a large anti-terrorism sweep last week, during which two suspects were killed and one wounded, that netted several returnees from Islamic holy war in Syria.

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Greg Keller in Paris, Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Nicholas Paphitis from Athens contributed.

The Huffington Post