Goldman Sachs has instructed its Paris employees to work remotely on Thursday following a thwarted bomb attack targeting Bank of America’s Paris offices last Saturday. Similarly, Citigroup personnel in both Paris and Frankfurt are also operating remotely as a precautionary measure.
French authorities have detained four suspects in connection with the plot. The Paris police did not provide immediate comment, and the Paris prosecutor’s office declined to respond to inquiries.
In a significant development, French anti-terrorism prosecutors revealed late Wednesday that the four individuals—three teenagers aged 16 and 17, along with one adult—have been formally investigated on charges including manufacturing, transporting, and handling an explosive device, as well as attempting to destroy property as part of a terrorist organization.
The explosive device, described as a five-litre petrol canister attached to a large pyrotechnic charge containing a 650-gram active-material cylinder, was reportedly the most powerful of its kind ever discovered in France. Authorities warned it could have produced a “powerful fireball several meters in diameter.” Investigations uncovered that the adult suspect recruited the teenagers, paying them between 500 and 1,000 euros ($580-$1,160) to plant and record the device. All four suspects have denied any terrorist intent.
