French security forces have arrested a man who barricaded himself in the Consulate of Iran in Paris and threatened to immolate himself inside. The first police information indicates that it is a man born in Iran in 1963.
Around 11:00 (local time), a man entered the Iranian Consulate “carrying a grenade or explosive vest“, police sources say Le Figaro. The suspect was detained around 2:45 p.m. outside the building and was not carrying explosives of any kind.
Area still cordoned off For the police and special intervention units have been deployed to investigate whether there were explosives at the site.
? #NOW | Strong security operation due to the presence of a person who threatens to blow himself up at the Iranian Consulate in Paris, France. pic.twitter.com/uYRUMnafFm
— World in Conflict ? (@MundoEConflicto) April 19, 2024
The French newspaper Le Parisian reports on the coincidence of several witnesses, who point out that the attacker said he wanted to avenge his brother's death.
The service of the lines 9 and 6 of the Paris Metro arriving at the Trocadero station, the closest to the Iranian Consulate, was interrupted.
This incident occurs in a context marked by tensions between Iran and Israel, which in recent days have exchanged attacks on their territories, the most recent this morning when several Israeli drones have hit Isfahan, in central Iran.
The Iranian ambassador in Paris was summoned last Monday by the French Foreign Ministry to convey a message of firm rejection following Tehran's attack on Israel with missiles and drones on Saturday night.