French police have arrested a man who had reportedly threatened to blow himself up at the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in the capital, Paris.
The man was reported by a French police source to have been seen entering the consulate at about 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) on Friday while carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest.
Police were prompted to cordon off the Iranian consulate and asked the public to avoid the area.
French television channel BFM said the man later left the consulate and was then arrested, adding that the suspect had been carrying replica grenades.
Iran's Tasnim news agency cited diplomatic information provided to the outlet as saying that the man, who was an Iranian national with a mental disorder, entered the consular section of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Embassy in Paris by pretending that he had explosives on him.
Man threatening to blow up the Iranian consulate in the French capital Paris, was arrested. pic.twitter.com/1BSdl57wfX
— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) April 19, 2024
Having disrupted the process of providing services to applicants, the man was finally convinced to leave the diplomatic building before being arrested by police.
The man, previously tried and convicted in court for attempted arson near the Iranian consulate, was identified as the same individual involved in the incident last September.
The members of the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Paris are in perfect health and there was no damage to the consular section.