Tight security in Paris to protect marchers

Paris

DOZENS of world leaders including Muslim statesmen gathered in Paris on Sunday to join hundreds of thousands of French citizens set to march amid high security in an unprecedented tribute to victims of last week's Islamist militant attacks.

Some 2,200 police and soldiers patrolled Paris streets to protect marchers from would-be attackers, with police snipers on rooftops and plain-clothes detectives mingling with the crowd. City sewers were searched ahead of the vigil and underground train stations around the march route were due to be closed down.

The silent march, which started at 3pm (1400 GMT), reflects shock over the worst militant Islamist assault on a European city in nine years. For France, …