(RepublicanPress.org) – On July 26, the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games will begin in Paris. For the first time ever, the start of the games won’t take place in a stadium but in the heat of the city along the Seine. Security is always a concern at such a big event, but a recent incident highlighted possible dangers, putting everyone on high alert.
On April 19, a man who threatened to blow himself up at Iran’s consulate building in Paris surrendered to authorities without incident. Police arrested him right away for questioning about the alleged threats. While there were reports the man was wearing a suicide vest, he didn’t have any weapons or explosives when the police apprehended him. The authorities also searched the area for bombs but didn’t find any.
Earlier, the man reportedly arrived at the Iranian consulate because he wanted to avenge his brother. A witness told France’s AFP news that the suspect said he was carrying a grenade. He then laid a “national flag on the floor.” When word came in about the possible threat, the police evacuated the area, shut down part of the metro, and established a perimeter for safety. However, the suspect wasn’t wearing an explosives vest. He was reportedly wearing a tactical vest with fake grenades.
After the area was checked and cleared, and with the suspect in custody, removed the perimeter around the consulate and started the metro lines again. While the man said he wanted to avenge his brother, police are still unclear about the particulars of his motive and did not say what, if anything, happened to the man’s brother. It’s unclear if the current tensions between Iran and Israel played any kind of part in the incident.
Police described the perpetrator as a French-Iranian man who was born in Tehran. Authorities became aware of him about seven months ago when he started a fire in front of the same Iranian consulate. For that incident, he was given leniency by the court.
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