France charges man over failed attack on US bank
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Police on March 28 arrested a 17-year-old who had placed an explosive device near the bank and was about to light it.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- A young man was charged in France for a "terrorist criminal conspiracy" related to an attempted attack on a Bank of America branch.
- The suspect allegedly recruited minors to place an explosive device, offering payment; one minor was arrested at the scene.
- Investigators are exploring potential links to HAYI, a pro-Iran Islamist group that previously threatened the bank on social media.
AI generated
PARIS - French authorities April 1 charged a young man in connection with an attempted attack against a Bank of America branch in Paris, as investigators explored suspicions a pro-Iran group was involved.
The plot thwarted before dawn on March 28 came more than a month after US-Israeli strikes on Iran sparked regional conflict, sending energy markets into a tailspin.
A source following the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man in his early twenties from a Paris suburb had been charged with “terrorist criminal conspiracy” and remanded in custody.
French counter-terrorism prosecutors suspect he asked teenagers to place an explosive device outside the US financial institution near the Champs-Elysees.
Contacted by AFP, his lawyer did not wish to comment.
The investigation suggested he recruited three minors in the night of March 26 to 27, offering to pay them €500 to €1,000 (S$740 to S$1,480) for the job, the National Counterterrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said earlier in the day.
After a failed attempt that night, “two of three minors tried again the following night”, it said.
Police on March 28 arrested a 17-year-old who had placed the explosive device near the bank and was about to light it.
The PNAT says the incident could be linked to a little-known Islamist group with possible links to Iran, though no firm link has yet been established.
The Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) group, meaning the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, has claimed responsibility for attacks targeting the Jewish community in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Police had on March 23 last week been informed of a HAYI propaganda video on social media “specifically targeting the French headquarters” of Bank of America, the PNAT said.
The adult suspect told investigators “a third party, presenting themself as an intermediary, had approached him via a social network’s messaging service to have the explosive device planted as part of a personal vendetta”, it said.
“The explosive device was allegedly delivered to his home by a person he did not know,” it added. AFP
