Two more people were placed in custody on Monday, March 30, 2026 in connection with the investigation into the attempted attack on the Paris headquarters of the Bank of America, bringing the total number of people in custody to five, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat). These are two adults, according to a source close to the case. The custody of the minors arrested on Saturday and Sunday has been extended, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said.
So far, few details have been revealed about the profile of the individuals arrested. “Further details will be provided at the end of the current custody period,” the prosecutor’s office said. On Saturday night, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez mentioned a “minor” with a common criminal profile.
According to a source close to the case, the two adults in custody have a common criminal profile, like the three minors. Their exact role in the attempted attack is yet to be determined. The minister made a “connection” on Saturday night with the war in the Middle East, seeing “similarities” in the modus operandi of this attempted attack with actions carried out in several European countries and claimed by a mysterious group believed to be close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Context of the War in the Middle East
In a telegram on Sunday to the internal security forces, he mentioned “the context inherent to Israeli-American operations in Iran” which requires “the highest level of attention,” and called for “strengthening vigilance measures” in France, especially around “Israeli-American sites and those representing the interests of these countries.”
The incident occurred on Saturday morning, around 3:30 AM, on Rue La Boétie in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, in front of the Bank of America premises. Police apprehended a man who had just placed an improvised explosive device, according to sources close to the case. This man was about to ignite the device with a lighter. He was accompanied by a second person who fled on foot.
According to initial information, the two men had arrived on foot in front of the American establishment. While the first person placed the device, the second one stepped back, apparently to take photos or a video with their phone. The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office immediately took action and opened an investigation, particularly for “attempted degradation by fire or dangerous means related to a terrorist enterprise.”
The investigation was entrusted to the anti-terrorism section of the judicial police’s criminal brigade of Paris and to the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI). The explosive device consisted of a 5-liter transparent can containing liquid, likely a hydrocarbon, and a ignition system, according to one of the sources.
The young man apprehended, referred to as a “minor” by the prosecutor, claimed to be of Senegalese nationality according to a source close to the case. He reportedly stated, according to a police source, that he was recruited via the Snapchat application to carry out this operation for a sum of 600 euros. While Laurent Nuñez claimed not to know who the “mastermind” was, he mentioned the “suspicion” of an action carried out by “proxies” – intermediaries – of the Iranians.
