France: a man threatened to blow himself up at the Iranian consulate in Paris

French police authorities carried out an intervention in the 16th arrondissement of Paris after a man allegedly armed with explosives entered the Iranian consulate in the French capital.

After several hours of police activity, the agents managed to arrest the individual. The man surrendered to the police forces present at the scene. After a thorough search of the surrounding area, no traces of explosives were found.

According to the Paris Police Prefecture, elite units such as the BRI were deployed on Fresnel Street, very close to the Trocadero gardens. This street leads to the Iranian consulate in Paris. The building connects directly to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic, which is accessed via Iléna Avenue.

According to the French media BFMTV, a suspicious man entered the consulate around 11 a.m. local time. Shortly after, the alarm was raised by the diplomatic delegation and a perimeter was set up around the building.

The man locked himself in the consulate in the presence of the Iranian ambassador. He declared that he was armed with explosives. It was initially thought that it could be an explosive belt or a hand grenade. According to preliminary reports, the individual said he intended to "avenge his brother."

Once the Police deployment was completed, it was learned that the detainee is a 60-year-old man with dual French and Iranian nationality. He already had a record after, in September 2023, burning a tire in front of the same consulate. His motives are still unknown.