Paris on lockdown after man threatens to detonate explosive belt
A man is threatening to blow himself up at the Iranian consulate in Paris.
A man is threatening to blow himself up at the Iranian consulate in Paris.
A police cordon is in place around the Iranian embassy less than two miles from the Eiffel Tower in the French capital.
The man is threatening to blow himself up at the consulate where a police scene is ongoing, according to reports by the French radio station Europe One.
He is allegedly wearing an explosive belt and carrying an ‘object resembling a grenade,’ the radio station reports.
Heavily armed special forces officers were pictured around the embassy.
Police have asked the public to avoid the area, Al Arabiya English reports.
A person at the Iranian embassy responded to a call from Reuters, but declined to provide any further information, according to France 24 news.
A police source told Reuters the man was seen at about 11am local time (9am GMT) entering the consulate with the alleged explosives.
Services have been interrupted on the nearby metro lines 6 and 9 for ‘security reasons’, transport provider RATP said.
The diplomatic mission is located on Rue Fresnel in the 16th arrondissement on the north bank of River Seine just a short distance from some of the city’s main tourist attractions like the Louvre and Champs-Élysées.
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