A policeman stands outside The Bank of America building in the 8th arrondissement of Paris on March 28, 2026. Sebastien DUPUY /AFP via Getty Images

French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris early Saturday, and a man was arrested as he was about to set off a homemade explosive device.

Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of nine pints of a liquid believed to be fuel, 23 ounces of explosive powder, and an ignition system, according to an initial assessment. The device will undergo a full analysis at the Paris police's forensics lab.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m., while the office was closed. No employees were injured, according to the bank. The building is located in Paris' chic 8th arrondissement, a few streets away from the Champs-Élysées.

A suspect is in custody, France's National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office told CBS News.

The office told CBS News it has opened an investigation into the charges of attempted arson or dangerous damage in connection with a terrorist enterprise, manufacture of an incendiary or explosive device in connection with a terrorist enterprise, possession and transport of an incendiary or explosive device with the intent to prepare dangerous damage, in connection with a terrorist enterprise and terrorist conspiracy.

The Paris police and France's domestic intelligence service are also investigating, the prosecutor's office said.

Bank of America head of global media relations Jessica Oppenheim told CBS News that the company is "aware of the situation" and is "communicating with authorities."

French interior minister Laurent Nunez praised the police officers' fast actions on X and said they stopped "a violent action of a terrorist nature last night in Paris."

Source