France's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said it had immediately taken over the investigation.
17 hours ago
Neil Murphy
Reuters
Three people have been arrested in connection with a suspected foiled bomb attack on the Bank of America's headquarters in Paris, France's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said.
An initial suspect was detained at the scene after he placed a device containing five litres of liquid, believed to be fuel, and an ignition system close to the bank, a police source said, as reported by AFP.
On Sunday, French security services said two more people had been arrested in connection with the incident, which happened at about 03:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Saturday in the city's 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Élysées.
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the attempted attack could be linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.
"In this type of conflict, you have a number of Iranian services that are likely to carry out actions such as these through proxies," he said.
"There is a significant suspicion, but it is for the investigation to determine."
The Iranian embassy in France has not commented on Nuñez's remarks.
The initial suspect, who was detained at the scene, was accompanied by a second person, who appeared to be taking photos and videos with a mobile phone, but who fled when officers arrived, according to a police source, as reported by AFP.
"Two further individuals were taken into police custody last night as part of the investigation launched on March 28, 2026 into the offences committed against Bank of America," the prosecutor's office said on Sunday.
The custody of the first suspect, who is a minor, had been extended, it added.
Under French law, suspects in terrorism cases can be held for 96 hours. This period can be extended by a court.
Nuñez claimed similar attacks have been foiled in other European nations, including France, Netherlands, Britain and Norway.
He urged security services to be "extra vigilant" and increase their presence at transport hubs and other locations across the country.
France's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said it had immediately taken over the investigation, which 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 anti-terrorism prosecutor's office.
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