A CAR BOMB exploded near an Irish travel agency in the heart of Paris early today causing slight damage to buildings in the area, according to news agencies. Nobody was injured in the blast which blew out windows in about a dozen nearby apartments.
The agencies reported that the blast occurred near the offices of the Irish travel agency USIT in the capital's bustling Left Bank.
The chairman of USIT, Mr Gordon Colleary, said early this morning in Dublin that the explosion occurred on Rue Linne on the square near the USIT Voyage office on Rue Lycieu, but the agency was not damaged. He said he had spoken with colleagues in Paris and the police were satisfied the explosion had nothing to do with USIT.
It is understood that a small explosive device was attached to the underside of the car and exploded shortly after 1 a.m. outside the building at 31 Rue Linne on the Left Bank of the Seine.
USIT has four offices in Paris in the 6th and 2nd arrondissements and, according to its chairman, would not be known as an Irish agency. The USIT Voyage offices are run by French staff. The anti terrorist squad was called to the area which was sealed off while police investigated.