Police officials stand alongside police and private security vehicles outside the Bank of America building in the 8th arrondissement of Paris on March 28, 2026, following an apparent bomb attack attempt. SEBASTIEN DUPUY / AFP
French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday, March 28, when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case told AFP.
The incident occurred around 3:30 am in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysées. Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five liters of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
The suspect, who allegedly said he was recruited for the operation on social media, was accompanied by a second man, who took flight as officers came to arrest them.
The ignition component had 650 grams (23 ounces) of explosive powder in it, according to an initial assessment. The whole device was taken to the Paris police's forensics lab for full analysis.
