French anti-terrorism authorities said on Wednesday they suspect a pro-Iranian militant group called HAYI was behind an attempted attack foiled at Bank of America’s Paris offices, while stressing that a formal link has not yet been legally established.
HAYI, an acronym for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, posted a propaganda video on social media on March 23 that targeted Jewish interests and communities in France and elsewhere in Europe, prosecutors said. The statement added that the video explicitly named Bank of America’s Paris headquarters in the capital’s 8th district as a target.
"In light of the aforementioned video targeting this U.S. bank and the modus operandi observed in similar operations across several European countries, this attack... appears to be linked to the HAYI group, although this has not yet been formally established at this stage of the proceedings," the prosecutor's office said.
The Iranian embassy in France did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The embassy had also declined, over the preceding weekend, to comment on remarks from French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez that pointed to possible Iranian involvement.
Forensic investigators described the device recovered after the March 28 incident as a five-litre petrol can taped to a large pyrotechnic charge. Inside the device was a 650-gram active-material cylinder fitted with a fuse, the prosecutor’s office said. Paris police characterized the device as the most powerful pyrotechnic device of this type identified in France to date.
Authorities have placed four suspects under formal investigation in connection with the case - three of them minors and one an adult. A fifth individual was released after investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue formal charges.
Prosecutors said investigators used CCTV footage, phone data and police interviews to reconstruct elements of the plot. According to their findings, the adult suspect recruited three teenagers between the nights of March 26 and 27 and paid them amounts ranging from 500 to 1,000 euros to plant the device, ignite it and record the scene. The euro amounts correspond to approximately $580 to $1,160 using the exchange rate cited by authorities.
All four people placed under investigation have denied having terrorist intent, the prosecutor’s office said. The minors did acknowledge, however, that they were aware the chosen target was not a residential building.
French anti-terrorism prosecutors said they are coordinating with counterparts in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands regarding a series of incidents in Europe during March that authorities consider to be linked to HAYI. The immediate investigative priority, prosecutors added, is to identify the individuals who planned and directed the attempted attack.
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