Counter-terror prosecutors in Paris opened a probe after two bombs were found near government buildings on Corsica days before the French president’s visit to the island, media said.
The “explosive charges” were found in front of the treasury and the department of public finances in Bastia commune, according to the BFMTV.
“I firmly condemn this foiled attack on a public finance centre in Bastia … An attack on a tax centre is an attack on the Republic,” Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted.
🔵🔴Je condamne fermement cette tentative d’attaque lâche contre un centre des finances publiques à #Bastia. Tout mon soutien aux agents de la @dgfip_officiel. Attaquer un centre des impôts c’est attaquer la République. Je souhaite que les auteurs soient retrouvés et punis. https://t.co/NlsGLsIUNF
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) April 1, 2019
A bomb squad was reportedly called in when the first bomb was discovered in the morning. A second explosive device was found hours later, prompting an evacuation.