French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said.
The incident occurred at roughly 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the city’s 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets away from the Champs-Élysées.
Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, which held 5 litres of liquid, believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
The ignition component had 650g (23 ounces) of explosive powder inside it, according to an initial assessment. The device was taken to the Paris police’s forensics lab for full analysis.
France’s counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said it had immediately taken over the investigation and confirmed the suspect caught was in police custody.
It said the investigation was looking into “attempted damage by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking” and a “terrorist criminal conspiracy”.
The Paris judicial police and France’s domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security, are also involved in the investigation, according to the counterterrorism prosecutor’s office.
France’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, hailed the speedy action by the police officers in a post on X, referencing “the current international situation”, in which European countries have increased domestic security concerns because of the war in the Middle East.
Nuñez said that, in France, “vigilance remains more than ever at a high level”.