France charges 4, including 3 minors, over failed attack on US bank

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PARIS: French anti-terrorism authorities have formally charged an adult and three minors in connection with a thwarted bomb attack on the Bank of America headquarters in Paris. 

The National Counterterrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) confirmed on Wednesday that the four individuals are being investigated for ‘terrorist criminal conspiracy’ and the transport of explosive devices.

The plot was uncovered in the early hours of Saturday, March 28, when police arrested a 17-year-old as he was allegedly attempting to ignite a homemade explosive a five-litre gasoline canister taped to a high-power pyrotechnic charge outside the bank’s offices in the 8th arrondissement.

 Investigators discovered that an adult suspect, a man in his early 20s with a history of drug trafficking, had recruited the three teenagers via social media. He reportedly offered them between €500 and €1,000 ($580–$1,160) to plant the device and film the explosion.

French officials suspect the incident is linked to Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI), a pro-Iranian group that had recently posted propaganda videos specifically targeting the bank. 

This escalation comes amid heightened regional tensions following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict in late February. While the suspects have denied ‘terrorist intent,’ prosecutors requested they be held in custody, citing the significant power of the device, which experts described as the most powerful of its kind identified in France to date.

Photo Credits: AFP