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Man claiming to be wearing suicide vest threatens to blow himself up at Iranian embassy in Paris
The entire central Paris street was put in lockdown
A MAN claiming to be wearing an explosive vest was arrested after storming the Iranian embassy in Paris and threatening to blow himself up.
The French capital's 16th arrondissement was under lockdown and armed counter-terror cops were at the scene.
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The drama unfolded close to the Eiffel Tower soon after 11am as cops say a suspicious man was seen entering the consulate building.
A security source at the scene said: "The man presented him at the consulate, and then removed his coat, to show off an alleged explosives vest."
"He said he was carrying a grenade, and then placed a national flag on the floor. He said he wanted to avenge his brother."
France's most elite anti-terrorism police unit, the BRI (the research and intervention brigade) arrived within minutes and sealed off the surrounding area.
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"A security perimeter is in place, with nobody allowed to enter it," said the source, who added the whole street is in full lockdown.
The man gave himself soon after 2pm, walking out of the consulate with his hands in the air and surrendering to police.
"He had no explosives or weapons on him," said the same security source.
"He was placed under arrest immediately and taken away to a secure police station for questioning."
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BRI officers continue to swarm around the area, together with sniffer dogs, just in case explosives had been hidden in the area.
"The security perimeter will be maintained for a while yet," said the source.
Police earlier ordered the city's Metro Line 6 to be interrupted as a safety measure.
It was unclear whether the incident had any link to the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
However, this morning Israel launched its much-awaited revenge attack on Iran - just days after Tehran unleashed an unprecedented missile and drone blitz.
The precision strike hit a major Iranian air force base next door to one of its prized nuclear sites near the city of Isfahan.
Iranian state TV launched into damage control claiming three drones were "destroyed" by its air defence batteries and no ground damage was caused.
However, the fresh attack threatens to further push relations between the two arch-foes to the brink amid fears of an all-out war breaking out across the tinderbox of the Middle East.
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