New anti-terrorism Bill on tap: Sarkozy

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, right, and Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrive to meet police officers close to the apartment building where a suspect in the shooting at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school was barricaded in Toulouse, southern France, on Tuesday. File photo

France’s Prime Minister says the conservative government is working on new anti-terrorism legislation after a killing spree by a radical Islamist gunman who was later shot dead following a standoff with police.

Francois Fillon says a bill would be drafted within two weeks, and the government will consult with leaders of the Senate, which is controlled by the opposition.

Mr. Fillon told RTL radio Friday that authorities “at no moment” suspected Mohamed Merah would be dangerous despite a long criminal record.

Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman of Algerian descent, was suspected in the killing of three paratroopers, a rabbi and three Jewish children in three shootings since March 11. He died Thursday following a shootout with police.