PARIS, March 28 (Reuters) – French police have arrested a man who allegedly attempted to ignite an improvised explosive device outside Bank of America’s offices in central Paris, French newspaper Le Parisien reported on Saturday, citing a police source.
The French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Saturday in a social media post. The probe has been entrusted to the Paris police judicial unit and France’s intelligence agency, the DGSI, he added.
“Well done to the rapid response team from the (Paris) police authority, whose actions thwarted a violent terrorist attack in Paris last night,” Nunez said.
“Vigilance remains at a higher level than ever. I congratulate all the security and intelligence forces, who are fully mobilised under my authority in the current international context.”
The Paris police authority declined to comment. The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office did not immediately reply to a request seeking comment.
“We are aware of the situation and are communicating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for Bank of America told Reuters.
The suspect was arrested at around 3:25 a.m. local time (0225 GMT) in the city’s 8th arrondissement, or district, as he tried to light the explosive device, Le Parisien reported. He was taken into custody, while a second individual who was present fled the scene and remains at large, Le Parisien added.
The device consisted of a five-litre container filled with an unidentified liquid and an explosive charge made of about 650 grams of powder, the French newspaper reported. It was secured and handed over to forensic experts from the Paris police laboratory, it reported.
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Saeed Azhar; Editing by Joe Bavier)
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