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Explosion in French City of Lyon Injures at Least 8 Explosive Device in French City of Lyon Injures at Least 13
(32 minutes later)
PARIS — At least eight people were injured on Friday near a bakery in the central French city of Lyon by what the local authorities described as a suspected explosive device. PARIS — At least 13 people, including a child, were injured on Friday when a suspected explosive device went off near a bakery in the central French city of Lyon, local officials said.
The precise nature of the device was not immediately clear, and there were no claims of responsibility. But President Emmanuel Macron, in a live interview on YouTube, called it an “attack,” and the Paris prosector’s office said that it had opened a terrorism investigation.The precise nature of the device was not immediately clear, and there were no claims of responsibility. But President Emmanuel Macron, in a live interview on YouTube, called it an “attack,” and the Paris prosector’s office said that it had opened a terrorism investigation.
“At this stage, there are no victims, there are some injured,” said Mr. Macron, who was being interviewed about the European Parliament elections. France has been a target of terrorist plots in recent years, especially in 2015 and 2016, when Islamist extremists waged deadly, large-scale attacks. In the past few years, attacks have been rarer and much smaller in scale. In December, in the eastern city of Strasbourg, five people were killed by a gunman at a Christmas market.
France has been a target of terrorist plots in recent years, especially in 2015 and 2016, when Islamist extremists waged large-scale deadly attacks. In the past few years, attacks have been rarer and much smaller in scale. In December, in the eastern city of Strasbourg, five people were killed by a gunman at a Christmas market.
Police and military patrols in urban areas have become routine, especially in crowded shopping areas and at sensitive sites like train stations.Police and military patrols in urban areas have become routine, especially in crowded shopping areas and at sensitive sites like train stations.
The Friday explosion occurred in a “heavily secured” pedestrian area that was crowded with people beginning their weekend, Jean-Yves Sécheresse, a deputy mayor in charge of security, told BFM TV. Friday’s explosion occurred in a pedestrian area crowded with people beginning their weekend, not far from Place Bellecour, a large square in the center of the city popular with tourists and local residents.
Denis Broliquier, the mayor of the affected borough, told BFM TV that police suspected an “explosive device” had been responsible and were combing through the scene. Hubert Julien-Laferrière, a lawmaker for the district, told the BFM TV news channel that witnesses saw a young man with a bicycle dropping off a bag in front of the bakery shortly before the blast. He said the man was being sought by the police.
Pictures posted to Twitter showed that the front of a Brioche Dorée bakery store on Rue Victor Hugo had been cordoned off by police, with glass and debris littering the ground. The blast occurred on the central peninsula between the Saône and Rhône rivers that snake through the city, according to local officials. Mr. Julien-Laferrière said the police suspected that the bag was an explosive device that contained nuts and bolts intended to harm people nearby.
Denis Broliquier, the mayor of the borough, told BFM TV that the suspect had been filmed by surveillance cameras in the area. The news channel later broadcast footage it said was from those surveillance cameras, showing a blurry image of a man wearing sunglasses and pushing a bicycle. It was not immediately possible to verify the footage, which was not released by the French authorities.
Pictures posted to Twitter showed that the front of a Brioche Dorée bakery on Rue Victor Hugo had been cordoned off by the police, with glass and debris littering the ground. The blast occurred on the central peninsula between the Saône and Rhône rivers that snake through the city.
Denys Courbier, a doctor who works nearby, told BFM TV that he heard an “absolutely huge noise.”Denys Courbier, a doctor who works nearby, told BFM TV that he heard an “absolutely huge noise.”
“I went to my window to see, and I saw that in front of the Brioche Dorée, all of the glass in the front window had shattered,” he said.“I went to my window to see, and I saw that in front of the Brioche Dorée, all of the glass in the front window had shattered,” he said.
Christophe Castaner, France’s interior minister, said on Twitter that he had asked authorities around the country to “reinforce security at public sites and at sporting, cultural and religious events.”
The police in Lyon said that two metro stations near the site of the blast had been closed until further notice.
The explosion comes just before French voters go to the polls in elections for the European Parliament. European Union nations began voting on Thursday; voting in France will be held on Sunday.