France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday that a foiled attack targeting the headquarters of Bank of America in Paris may be linked to a group loyal to Iran.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has referred the case to investigating judges, involving charges of criminal conspiracy with the intent to commit a terrorist act, as well as the manufacture, possession, and transport of an explosive device, in addition to attempted destruction connected to a terrorist act.
In a statement, prosecutors said they have requested that four suspects be held in pre-trial detention, including three minors with no prior criminal records, and one adult who was previously convicted in 2025 on drug trafficking charges. All four have been formally charged.
The prosecution indicated that the attempted bombing could be linked to a group called the “Islamic Movement of the Righteous,” which is loyal to Iran, but noted that this connection has not yet been definitively established.
Police had received a report on March 23 regarding a video published by the group on social media, which discussed “targeting interests and the Jewish community in France and Europe, particularly the French headquarters” of Bank of America.
The group had also claimed responsibility in recent days for several attacks targeting Jewish communities in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
- “Fireball” –
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reiterated on Wednesday morning in an interview with France Info radio that there may be a “possible link” to Iran.
He said, “We know that in times of tension with Iran, they are capable of carrying out this kind of action,” using intermediaries or “proxies” recruited locally.
At around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, police arrested a 17-year-old who had placed a homemade explosive device and was about to ignite it with a lighter in front of Bank of America offices in western central Paris.
In the following days, police arrested two additional minors, aged 16, and one adult.
The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office explained that laboratory analysis of the device showed it consisted of “a cardboard cylinder containing 650 grams of explosive material with a fuse,” along with gasoline, and that “if it had exploded, it could have generated a powerful fireball several meters in diameter and caused a fire to spread.”
Preliminary investigations revealed that the adult suspect had recruited the three minors on the night of March 26–27 to plant the explosive device, in exchange for a payment ranging between 500 and 1,000 euros.
