New Delhi, March 28 -- Authorities in France have apprehended an man who reportedly tried to detonate an improvised explosive device in front of Bank of America office in the heart of Paris, reported Le Parisien newspaper on Saturday citing law enforcement sources.

The national counter-terrorism prosecution department has initiated a formal inquiry into the matter, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced via social media on Saturday.

The investigation has been assigned to the Paris judicial police division and the DGSI, France's domestic intelligence service, he further said.

"Well done to the rapid response team from the (Paris) police authority, whose actions thwarted a violent terrorist attack in Paris last night," Nunez sa...