France arrests three people after coffins were placed at the Eiffel Tower

Police arrested three people after the discovery of five coffins near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, draped in French flags reading “French soldiers in Ukraine”, sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The incident is being investigated as possible interference by a foreign power in French affairs, they told AFP.

At around 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Saturday, three people placed the five life-size coffins on Quai Branly in Paris, near the foot of the Eiffel Tower, one of the world's most visited tourist attractions.

The boxes contained gypsum, a source close to the matter told AFP.

The driver of the van used to transport the coffins, arrested nearby, told police he had been paid 40 euros ($43) to drive the other two coffins and their load, the source said.

The man reportedly arrived the day before from Bulgaria.

The other two were apprehended later Saturday across town at the Bercy bus station, where they were preparing to board a service to Berlin, the source said.

One of the three people was Bulgarian, another Ukrainian and the third German, the source said. They were still in custody on Sunday.

President Emmanuel Macron said last month that the question of sending Western troops to Ukraine would “legitimately” arise if Russia crossed Ukraine’s front lines and kyiv requested it.

The president reiterated his previous comments in which he did not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, which had sent shockwaves through much of Europe and destabilized its allies, including Germany.

The Kremlin criticized the comments, calling them “dangerous.”

French authorities have suspected foreign, particularly Russian, interference in domestic affairs in several other recent incidents, including last month, when red hand graffiti was painted on the French Holocaust Memorial.

The three suspects in this case are believed to have fled abroad.

France suspects Russia of being behind another high-profile incident, the application of dozens of Stars of David to buildings in Paris and its suburbs shortly after the October 7 attack by militants of Hamas against Israel.

Investigators said some mass graffiti, widely condemned as anti-Semitic, may have been done at the “express request” of an individual living abroad, implying a possible link to Russia.

Moscow has denied any involvement in this affair.

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