(Bloomberg) — French counterterrorism authorities are investigating a foiled bombing near Bank of America Corp. headquarters. in Paris, which they believe is related to the conflict in the Middle East.
The attempted attack in the early hours of Saturday, in which the suspects attempted to detonate a homemade explosive device, was similar to recent incidents in neighboring European countries, including the Netherlands and Norway, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on BFM TV.
As in those cases, the Paris bomb was planted by minors or young men who were paid to carry out the plan, Nunez said.
“It’s clearly a collaborative effort,” Nunez said.
A Jewish school in Amsterdam was hit by an explosion earlier this month, shortly after an explosive was detonated at a synagogue in Rotterdam. In Norway, three brothers and their mother were arrested in connection with the explosion outside the US embassy in Oslo.
Paris police saw two people plant a bomb outside a bank on Rue de la Boétie, in Paris’s eighth arrondissement, between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., Nunez said. One was preparing to ignite while the other was filming.
One of the suspects is in custody and police are looking for the other, Nunez added.
The detained suspect told authorities he was contacted via Snapchat and paid 600 euros ($690) for the task, Le Parisien reported.
A spokeswoman for Bank of America said the company is “aware of the situation” and is communicating with authorities.
French authorities have stepped up security around Jewish and US-linked sites since the start of the Middle East conflict, Nunez said. The Paris judicial police and the local DGSI intelligence service are also involved in the investigation.
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