French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early today when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, sources close to the case tell AFP.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (nine imperial pints), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources say.