French police have arrested a man who threatened to blow himself up in front of the Iranian consulate in Paris.
Earlier on Friday, police cordoned off the Iranian consulate after receiving reports of threats, but did not confirm that any weapons were found at the scene. Police sources told Reuters that a man was seen entering the consulate at 11 a.m. local time on Friday.
A Paris police official told The Associated Press that they were confirming the man’s identity and trying to determine if he was armed. The suspect was apparently carrying a grenade and a jacket full of explosives, police said.
According to the police, officials were present at the spot and asked the public to avoid going to the area, but did not provide further details. RATP Metro Company said that due to security reasons, the service of the nearby metro line was also disrupted. An Iranian embassy official declined to provide details on the situation to Reuters. It is not clear whether the incident is related to the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. It should be noted that on Friday morning, explosions were heard in the city of Isfahan in Iran, which sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran did not attach importance to this incident and indicated that it did not intend to retaliate.