French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, sources close to the case said.
The incident occurred around 3:30am (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid believed to be fuel and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
France's counter-terrorism prosecutor's office told AFP on Saturday it has taken over the investigation. The office confirmed that a suspect caught in the act was in police custody and said it was investigating "attempted damage by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking" and a "terrorist criminal conspiracy".
Both the Paris judicial police and France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), are involved in the probe, the office said.
'Vigilance remains at a higher level than ever'
"Well done to the rapid response team from the (Paris) police authority, whose actions thwarted a violent terrorist attack in Paris last night," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. "Vigilance remains at a higher level than ever. I congratulate all the security and intelligence forces, who are fully mobilised under my authority in the current international context."
The Paris police authority declined to comment. "We are aware of the situation and are communicating with the authorities," a spokesperson for Bank of America told Reuters.
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The suspect was taken into custody, while a second individual who was present fled the scene and remains at large, French newspaper Le Parisien reported on Saturday. The device consisted of a five-litre container filled with an unidentified liquid and an explosive charge made of about 650 grams of powder, Le Parisien added. It was secured and handed over to forensic experts from the Paris police laboratory, it reported.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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