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[Herald Economy=Reporter Kim Hyun-il] French police arrested a suspect who attempted to carry out a bomb attack near an American investment bank in Paris, officials said. Investigators are probing whether the incident is linked to the recent conflict in the Middle East.
AFP reported that at about 3:30 a.m. on the 28th (local time), officers in the city’s 8th arrondissement arrested one person who had placed an improvised explosive device (IED) in front of the Bank of America (BOA) building; a second suspect fled the scene.
The device is believed to have contained roughly 5 liters of a liquid thought to be fuel and about 650 grams (approximately 1.4 pounds) of explosive material.
Police said the detained suspect was caught by officers on patrol as he was attempting to ignite the bomb with a lighter. Sources reported the fleeing accomplice appeared to be recording the incident on a cellphone.
The suspect told investigators he was recruited via the messaging app Snapchat and was promised €600 (approximately $642) to detonate the device. He claimed to be a minor from Senegal; authorities are still verifying his identity.
France’s anti‑terror prosecutor’s office said it has opened an investigation into an alleged terrorist plot, working with the Paris judicial police and the domestic intelligence agency DGSI.
Officials are also examining a possible connection to the war between Israel and Iran and to U.S. involvement in the regional conflict. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told local broadcasters the case “recalls incidents that occurred in other European countries, such as the Netherlands.”
Since the outbreak of fighting last month, authorities have reported a series of suspected arson attacks and related incidents across Europe: a synagogue in Rotterdam and another in Liège, Belgium, and a Jewish school in Amsterdam were all hit by fires thought to be arson. In the early hours of the 23rd, oxygen cylinders exploded and started fires on four ambulances operated by a Jewish volunteer medical group in London. Groups appearing to support Iran have claimed responsibility for those incidents, but authorities have not confirmed the claims.
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