By Mathieu Rosemain
PARIS, March 28 (Reuters) – French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into a suspected attack targeting Bank of America’s Paris headquarters after the reported overnight arrest of a man who allegedly tried to ignite an improvised explosive device outside the U.S. bank’s premises.
In an e-mailed statement to Reuters, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said the investigation involves the suspected attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist plot, as well as the manufacture, possession and transport of an incendiary or explosive device.
The investigation also includes a charge of participation in a terrorist criminal association, covering potential links to accomplices or a broader network. It has been entrusted to the Paris police judicial unit and France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI.
French newspaper Le Parisien and other media earlier reported the arrest of a man at the scene, citing police sources.
“Well done to the rapid response team from the (Paris) police authority, whose actions thwarted a violent terrorist attack in Paris last night,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a social media post.
“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.
“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 suspect told police he had been contacted via Snapchat and paid 600 euros ($690) to carry out the act, adding that he had been driven to the scene by another person, Le Parisien reported.
The device consisted of a 5-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.
($1 = 0.8690 euros)
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Joe Bavier and Louise Heavens)
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