Sources familiar with the matter told AFP the case is being investigated as a possible foreign influence in French affairs.

At around 9am on June 1, three people were found dumping five life-sized coffins on Quai Branly near the foot of the Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.

The coffin contained plaster, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The driver of the truck carrying the coffins was arrested nearby. He told police he had been paid 40 euros to transport two other people and the coffins.

The driver had arrived in Paris from Bulgaria the previous afternoon.

The other two were arrested as they were preparing to leave for Berlin, Germany.

One of the three is a French citizen, one is Ukrainian and the third is German.

In addition to the coffin dumping near the Eiffel Tower, French authorities have also suspected foreign involvement in recent vandalism, including the red hand painting on the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Paris last month. Three suspects in that case are believed to have fled abroad.

France suspects Russia of being behind the spray-painting of dozens of Stars of David on buildings in Paris and its suburbs shortly after Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern France on October 7, 2023. Russia has denied involvement in the vandalism.