Speaking on BFMTV about the thwarted attack in front of the Bank of America in Paris on Saturday, March 28, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez “linked” the event to the war in the Middle East.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez made the connection on BFMTV between the attempted attack in Paris targeting the Bank of America and the war in the Middle East on Saturday, March 28, seeing “similarities” between this action and operations carried out in other European countries in recent days and claimed by a fringe group.
The Interior Minister explained to our channel that “this incident reminded us of similar actions that have taken place in other European countries” such as the Netherlands.
“I make the connection with actions carried out in neighboring countries (…) which led to” and were followed by “claims from a fringe group referring to the conflict,” emphasized Laurent Nuñez.
One suspect arrested, another actively sought
A man was arrested on the night of Friday to Saturday, March 28, as he was about to set fire to an improvised explosive device in front of the Paris headquarters of Bank of America, in the 8th arrondissement of the capital. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation, notably for “attempted degradation by fire or dangerous means in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”
Another man, present at the scene at the time of the arrest, managed to flee and is actively sought by the authorities. During his custody, the man arrested in the night claimed to be a minor. According to his statements, he is 17 years old and is of Senegalese nationality. He also gave an address in the Seine-Saint-Denis department.
According to a police source, the suspect claims to have been dropped off on site by a man in a car and to have been recruited via the social network Snapchat to commit this attack in exchange for the sum of 600 euros.
15 people particularly monitored by authorities
According to BFMTV information, several dozen people are monitored by intelligence on national territory for suspected ties to Iranian networks and Lebanese Hezbollah. Among these targets, 15 people are particularly monitored.
According to our information, the main risks of violent action on our territory come from two organizations: the Lebanese Hezbollah and its cell responsible for external operations, as well as the Quds Force, the elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which recruits individuals from delinquency or organized crime who are unaware of who their sponsors are and are generally paid without asking questions.
In France, a member of the DZ Mafia, for example, was recruited by an intermediary to set fire to buildings of companies linked to Israel, in Toulouse and Lyon, in early 2024. According to our information, a dozen Iranian opponents have been under police protection in France since the start of the war on February 28.
