Overview
- Police in Paris stopped an improvised bomb outside a Bank of America office in the 8th arrondissement early Saturday, detaining a 17-year-old at the scene as a second suspect fled, and no one was hurt.
- France’s anti-terror prosecutor (PNAT) opened a terrorism case and sent the device to the police lab, where experts are analyzing a 5-liter container with liquid, an ignition system, and about 650 grams of explosive powder.
- PNAT said Monday that two more suspects were arrested, bringing the total in custody to five people that include minors and adults, and authorities extended the minors’ detention as the inquiry advances.
- Interior Minister Laurent Núñez linked the disrupted plot to the war in the Middle East and to recent tactics seen in other European countries, and he ordered tighter protection for U.S.-linked sites and Jewish places of worship.
- A source close to the case said the detained minor claimed he was recruited on Snapchat for €600, while France’s domestic intelligence service (DGSI) works to map any network and assess reported media claims of Iran-linked involvement.