Man arrested after ‘threatening to blow himself up’ outside Iranian consulate in Paris
19 April 2024, 13:41 | Updated: 19 April 2024, 14:48
A man has been arrested in Paris after he ‘threatened to blow himself up’ in the Iranian consulate.
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Armed police were deployed in Paris at about 11am local time after reports of a man carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest.
A witness had reportedly seen a suspicious man entering the consulate in the Rue Fresnel not far from the Eiffel Tower, according to local media.
The man was arrested by police shortly after 2:45pm local time, BFMTV reported.
He reportedly gave himself up after entering the consulate while claiming he was wearing a vest ‘packed with explosives and carrying a grenade’, according to an LBC News Paris correspondent.
It is thought no explosives were found on the man following a search by the BRI intervention brigade.
A Paris police official said officers are verifying the man's identity and trying to determine whether he had weapons.
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Photos taken at the scene show swarms of police from France's elite BRI intervention brigade approaching the area.
Police have asked the public to avoid the area around the street in the city’s 16th district, which has been cordoned off.
Paris transport company RATP on X, formerly Twitter, said traffic had been suspended on two metro lines that transit through stops close to the consulate.
The consulate is located near the Eiffel Tower and is close to the Trocadero and the River Seine, all areas popular with tourists.
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
