French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris this Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, according to French media. The police sent rapid intervention units to the area and set up a security perimeter in several streets surrounding the consulate, which is located near the Trocadero square, a very touristy place in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Police were notified after "a witness saw a man enter with a grenade or an explosive vest," according to a statement from police headquarters. The newspaper Le Parisien indicated that the individual entered the consulate around 11:00 and that he took off his coat, revealing a handmade belt. According to some witnesses, the suspect placed several flags on the floor of the building and assured that his objective was to avenge the death of his brother.
BFMTV television indicated that the individual was arrested before 2 p.m., after law enforcement negotiators came into contact.
The Paris Police Prefecture released a message in which it asked to avoid the Fresnel Street sector, in the 16th arrondissement, but without mentioning the reason, while the public transport network assured that the metro is closed in the sector for reasons of security.
This event occurs in the midst of growing tension in the Middle East and a few days after Iran directly attacked Israeli territory for the first time in history, in retaliation for the bombing of its consulate in Damascus.
