National Archives: French planted 'bomb' in London to test security
A French secret agent planted a “bomb” in the grounds of the residence of Paris’s envoy to London to test British security – provoking fury when it was discovered by Scotland Yard.
Two containers of high explosive were discovered by a sniffer dog shortly before the ambassador was due to host President François Mitterrand in October 1984. When police questioned the security officer responsible, more explosive was found stashed in his hotel room.
Cabinet minutes show that ministers, who had recently survived the Brighton bomb, were unimpressed by the failure of Paris to offer an explanation for the incident, describing it as “inexplicable and unacceptable”.
More freshly released information from the National archives:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies