Bombs and arson attacks spark fears of return of terror campaign in Corsica

The Mediterranean territory, famed for its beaches and as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, was once a hotbed of anti-French militancy which led to thousands of bombings from the 1970s to early 2000s.

But since 2014, when local National Liberation Front of Corsica announced a ceasefire, French state infrastructure and the luxury holiday homes owned by wealthy mainlanders – still seen as “colonisers” by some locals – have been largely safe.

After a series of incidents in recent weeks, Gilles Simeoni, the nationalist head of Corsican regional government, warned of a “tense atmosphere” on the island and “the resurgence of the logic of conflict”.