Mr Calvar has voiced his concerns about the possibility of civil war

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Patrick Calvar, chief of the Directorate General of Internal Security, told members of the French parliamentary commission: "We are on the brink of civil war."

He said that the situation in France is on such a knife edge that it could just take one more major Islamist terror attack to lead to a huge right-wing backlash.

Speaking to the leading French newspaper, Le Figaro, Mr Calvar said: "This confrontation I think it will take place.

"Even another one or two attacks and it will happen. It therefore behooves us to anticipate and block all these groups."