French police foiled a suspected bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early on Saturday morning when they arrested a man about to set off an improvised explosive device.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 am CET outside a Bank of America building on Rue de la Boétie in the capital's 8th arrondissement, a few streets from the Champs-Élysées.
Police arrested the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid, believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, news agency AFP reported.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the investigation has been taken over by France's counter-terrorism prosecutor's office.
Paris judicial police and France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), are involved in the probe
Nuñez hailed the speedy action by the police officers, given "the current international situation", in which European countries have increased domestic vigilance because of the Iran war.
He said that "vigilance remains more than ever at a high level" in France.
