French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe leaves the Elysee Palace after a defence meeting in Paris, France, May 18, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday called on French citizens to be vigilant following the suicide attack at a concert in Manchester, which Philippe described as an “abominable crime.”

“The most cowardly form of terrorism has struck once again, targeting - as in Paris more than a year ago - a concert venue,” Philippe said in a statement in a reference to a similar attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November 2015.

“I call on my fellow citizens to observe the utmost vigilance, confronted as we are with a threat which is more present than ever before,” Philippe said.