Man arrested in Paris over bomb threat at Iran consulate

French police have arrested a man who threatened to blow himself up at Iran’s consulate in Paris, the capital of France.

Security operatives cordoned off the area due to concerns over the threat, the police said in a tweet on Friday.

No explosives or arms were found on the man or at the premises after he surrendered to police.

Some reports said the suspect had been carrying replica grenades.

Iran’s embassy and consulate in Paris share the same building but have two different entrances on separate streets.

The incident comes amid heightened tension in the Middle East, with Israel reportedly launching a retaliatory strike on central Iran overnight.

There was however no suggestion of any link to the incident at the consulate.

The suspect, a 60-year-old Iranian who lives in France, set fire to car tyres in front of the embassy building in September 2023 in protest against the Iranian regime.

The office of the Paris prosecutor said the man is due to appear in court on Monday over the September 2023 incident.

The criminal investigation department said it is trying to ascertain the man’s motives for the incident at the consulate.