Belgian woman charged in France over foiled attack on US bank

A 23-year-old Belgian woman was charged in France on Friday for allegedly participating in a failed bomb attack on a Bank of America branch in Paris on March 28, according to prosecutors. The attack, which was stopped by police before the explosives could detonate, may be connected to a pro-Iranian group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), though no direct link has been confirmed.

The case, handled by France's anti-terrorist prosecution office (PNAT), also includes charges against five others who are currently in custody, awaiting further legal proceedings. The woman was arrested alongside four others who were attempting to set off an explosive device outside the US bank. She faces charges of associating with terrorist criminals and possessing/expanding explosive substances, as part of a terrorist operation.

On July 31, another Belgian woman was charged and placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the same incident. The attack came a month after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, sparking ongoing tensions in the Middle East. After the foiled attack, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs instructed their Paris-based staff to work from home, while French police increased security around their establishments.

The woman's lawyer, Werner-Edouard de Saeger van Nattenhaesdonck, stated that his client is innocent and will appeal the charges, claiming she was wrongly implicated in an activity she did not participate in.