French police arrest man suspected of setting fire to Iranian Consulate in Paris

By Nur Asena Erturk

French police arrested a suspect accused of setting fire to the Iranian Consulate in Paris, according to media reports Tuesday.

A suspect set fire to the consulate building, which is also the back door of the Iranian Embassy building in the 16th district. He was arrested Sunday, the Le Parisien reported.

The incident claimed no victims as the flames reached the gate and the façade of the building.

Paris prosecutor's office launched an investigation and considered criminal motives.

Surveillance cameras helped authorities identify Nicolas K.-M., 60, who was born in Tehran. He fled the scene after provoking the fire with a burning tire.

Police put the suspect in custody and authorities estimate he committed the attack as Mahsa Amini's death anniversary is approaching.

Amini was a 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody in Tehran. Her death sparked widespread and unprecedented protests.

It is not the first time the Iranian Embassy in Paris has come under attack. In September 2018, individuals threw objects and smashed the embassy windows, which sparked tensions between Tehran and Paris.

Tensions between the two countries have dramatically escalated since last year's violent protests in Iran after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a group of exiled Iranian activists in Paris.

And in January, Iran's Foreign Ministry ordered the closure of the cultural center at the French Embassy in Tehran for the publication of sacrilegious cartoons by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which further inflamed tensions.