FACING COURT
The office of the Paris prosecutor confirmed that the same man was due to appear in court on Monday over a fire at the diplomatic mission in September 2023.
A lower court had handed him an eight-month suspended sentence and prohibited him from entering the area around the consulate for two years and carrying weapons.
But he is appealing the verdict.
At the time, the man had claimed the action as an act of opposition to Iran’s clerical authorities as they faced the “Woman. Life. Freedom.” nationwide protests.
Reports said that the man left Iran in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution and has expressed sympathy towards the former imperial regime.
France raised its national security alert to its maximum level following an attack on a concert venue in Moscow on Mar 22, for which the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility.
The incident at the Iranian consulate prompted the Paris embassy of the United States, Iran’s arch-foe, to issue a security alert for its citizens.
“Americans are advised to avoid the area and follow instructions from local authorities,” it said.
