French prosecutors said on March 30 that two further arrests were made on Monday related to an attempted attack on Bank of America’s premises in Paris, bringing the total number of people detained in the inquiry to five.
In a statement, the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said the custody of the first three suspects - all minors who were taken into custody on Saturday and Sunday - had been extended. The statement did not provide details about the identities of the two newly arrested individuals or explain how they might be connected to the initially detained minors.
Under French law, people suspected in terrorism-related investigations can be held for up to 96 hours, a period that can be extended further under judicial oversight. The prosecutor's office reiterated those procedural constraints while investigations continue.
Police say the initial incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday in Paris' 8th arrondissement. A patrol tasked with guarding sensitive locations observed two people placing what was described as an improvised explosive device outside the Bank of America office and attempting to ignite it. Officers arrested one minor at the scene; the second individual escaped.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Saturday that, although rudimentary, the device could have been lethal and that officers were able to prevent it from being ignited. He characterized the two individuals as "common-law" offenders acting as paid intermediaries, describing the method as a known modus operandi in which proxies are recruited to carry out attacks.
Nunez also pointed to suspicions of Iran as a potential sponsor, while stressing that no definitive conclusion had been reached. The Iran embassy did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Authorities have identified similarities between this attempt and incidents in several European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Britain and Norway, where improvised devices have targeted locations linked to U.S. interests or Jewish communities. Investigators continue to probe the arrests and the device's origins as custodial periods for the detained minors are extended.