Leftist Held, Denies Role in Paris Blasts

PARIS — Police arrested a suspected leader of the extreme leftist Direct Action terrorist group today in a city park as he was telling reporters he was not involved in a chain of deadly bombings in Paris.

“I have nothing to do with these bombing attacks,” a visibly frightened Frederic Oriach, 32, told reporters in Luxembourg Gardens as several plainclothes police burst into the crowd, shoved reporters aside and tried to grab Oriach.

Oriach ran about 30 yards before police grabbed him and hustled him into a police van.

A police spokesman refused to say if his arrest had anything to do with five terrorist bombings in Paris that killed nine people and wounded more than 160 between Sept. 8 and Sept. 17.