On 3 December 1996 an IED detonated on the southbound tracks of the Port-Royal Réseau Express Régional (RER) station in Paris, France.

Four people were killed in the bombing:[1][2][3][4] two French citizens, a Moroccan and a Canadian.

[5] Following the bombing, French officials activated the "Vigipirate" nationwide security plan drawn up a year earlier in the wake of a series of bombings by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA).

The plan included police and army patrols in sensitive public areas and spot checks across the country.

[6][7] Jean-Louis Bruguière and Jean-François Ricard were in charge of the bombing file.