French police foil Paris bomb attack outside US bank

French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off…

French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said.

The incident occurred around 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.

Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.

The suspect, who allegedly said he was recruited for the operation on social media, was accompanied by a second man, who took flight as officers came to arrest them.

The ignition component had 650g (23 oz) of explosive powder in it, according to an initial assessment. The whole device was taken to the Paris police’s forensics lab for full analysis.

France’s counter-terrorism prosecutor’s office said it had immediately taken over the investigation, and confirmed the suspect caught was in police custody.

It said the probe it has launched was into “attempted damage by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking” and a “terrorist criminal conspiracy”.

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