French authorities are investigating a suspected Iranian link in the foiled bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris over the weekend, the Associated Press reported, citing the French Interior Ministry, BTA reports.
Authorities suspect a possible link to Iran because of similarities to other recent bombing attempts in Europe claimed by a pro-Iranian group, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Police on Saturday spotted two suspects with a shopping bag near the Bank of America building in the French capital. A total of five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, including two today and the national prosecutor's office for counterterrorism of terrorism has launched an investigation into terrorism-related crimes.
The authorities believe there is a “direct link“ to Iran because “the modus operandi is in every way similar to the actions that were carried out in the Netherlands and Belgium“, Nunez said in an interview with RTL radio. According to him, a pro-Iranian group has claimed responsibility for these cases and has “linked them to the conflict“ in the Middle East.
The group, which publishes on the Telegram channel “Harakat Apab al-Yamin al-Islamiya“, also claimed responsibility for the attack in London last week, in which four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were burned.
“Usually, the intelligence services of this country (Iran) operate in the following way: They use allies, a series of subcontractors, often ordinary criminals, to to take targeted actions against US interests, the interests of the Jewish community or figures in the Iranian opposition," Nunez said.
He also said that French authorities had increased security measures for key individuals and locations since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, including the personal security of some figures in the Iranian opposition.