À Paris, un adolescent interpellé après une tentative d'attentat visant Bank of America

French police arrested a 17-year-old suspect in the early hours of Saturday, March 28, 2026, as he attempted to ignite an improvised explosive device outside the Bank of America offices on Rue de la Boétie in Paris's 8th arrondissement, thwarting what authorities described as a violent terrorist attack. Officers from the Brigade anti-criminalité detained the man at approximately 3:25 a.m. local time as he was about to light the device with a lighter, according to Le Parisien, cited by multiple outlets. The homemade device consisted of a transparent five-liter container filled with liquid, described as likely a hydrocarbon, and a firecracker containing approximately 650 grams of explosive powder attached with adhesive tape, according to La Libre.be. The entire device was secured and handed over to forensic experts at the Paris police prefecture laboratory. A second individual who was present at the scene fled and remained at large as of Saturday afternoon. Bank of America confirmed awareness of the incident in a statement to AFP. „Nous sommes au courant de la situation et nous communiquons avec les autorités” — Bank of America spokesperson via Reuters

Un suspect recruté via Snapchat pour 600 euros The arrested suspect, described as a 17-year-old male who claimed to be Senegalese and was not carrying identification, told police he had been recruited through the Snapchat application and paid 600 euros to carry out the attack, according to police sources cited by Le Figaro and Le Parisien. He stated that he had been driven to the location by car by a man, according to La Libre.be. The suspect was previously known to police for drug-related offenses, Le Parisien reported. During the arrest, he resisted violently and dropped a lighter, according to police sources cited by TF1 television and reported by 20 Minutos. The Parquet national antiterroriste opened an investigation on charges including attempted arson in connection with a terrorist enterprise, manufacture of an incendiary or explosive device in connection with a terrorist enterprise, possession and transport of an incendiary or explosive device for the purpose of preparing dangerous damage in connection with a terrorist enterprise, and terrorist criminal association. 600 (euros) — paiement proposé au suspect pour mener l’attaque

La DGSI et l’antiterrorisme parisien reprennent l’enquête The investigation was entrusted to the anti-terrorist section of the criminal brigade of the Paris judicial police and to the Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced in a social media post on Saturday. Nuñez, who serves as Paris police prefect according to the person registry, praised the rapid response of the officers who intervened. „Bravo à la force de réaction rapide de la préfecture de police, dont l’action a permis de faire échouer une attaque terroriste violente à Paris dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi” — Laurent Nuñez via Reuters He added that vigilance remained at the highest level and that security and intelligence forces were fully mobilized under his authority. „La vigilance reste plus que jamais à un niveau élevé” — Laurent Nuñez via La Libre.be The Paris police authority declined to comment on the incident, and the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Reuters.

La France en alerte depuis le début des frappes américaines et israéliennes sur l’Iran The attempted attack occurred against a backdrop of heightened security measures across France following the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States, Israel, and Iran at the end of February 2026. Since that period, the interior minister had repeatedly called for extreme vigilance from law enforcement, particularly to protect Iranian opponents, Jewish places of worship, and American and Israeli interests in France, all identified as potential targets, according to La Libre.be and HotNews.ro. The deployment of forces attached to the opération Sentinelle surveillance program was reinforced at stations, airports, and heavily trafficked public places. According to La Libre.be, as of Saturday, no terrorist plot or attack had been uncovered and thwarted in France since the start of the war before this incident. The minister did not comment on a possible direct connection with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to N-tv and watson.ch. The Rue de la Boétie, where the Bank of America offices are located, sits in a heavily touristed area in the western part of central Paris, according to eldiario.es.

La France fait face depuis plus d’une décennie à une menace terroriste durable. Le pays a connu une série d’attentats majeurs entre 2015 et 2016, ce qui a conduit au lancement puis au renforcement d’Opération Sentinelle. Les établissements financiers américains et leurs intérêts à l’étranger ont régulièrement été identifiés comme des cibles symboliques dans un contexte de tensions géopolitiques. Les autorités françaises ont à plusieurs reprises relevé le niveau de menace nationale en réaction à des crises internationales, le PNAT jouant depuis sa création en 2019 un rôle central de coordination dans les enquêtes antiterroristes.