Eiffel Tower EVACUATED after man ‘threatens to detonate bomb’ sparking massive police response
THE Eiffel Tower was sealed off in a terror alert today after a man reportedly threatened to blow it up.
The Paris landmark was evacuated of all visitors as cops threw up security cordons on surrounding roads.
Local TV station BFM Paris said police received an anonymous phone call around noon local time claiming a bomb had been planted.
Armed police were filmed at the scene as officers searched for a possible device.
French journalist Amaury Bucco tweeted: “Perimeter of Eiffel Tower cordoned off, police operation in progress.”
He said police had told him a man “threatened to blow everything up” but this has not been verified.
A source at the tower said at 1pm: “The Eiffel Tower is currently closed until further notice, because of an unidentified caller saying a bomb has been planted. There has been an evacuation
“Checks are being carried out, and a safety perimeter has been set up in the meantime. This is a routine precaution.”
The Eiffel Tower only recently reopened – with limited numbers – after three months closed during coronavirus lockdown.
In normal times six million people a year – around 25,000 a day – ascend to the 906ft top deck.
More than 250million people have visited since the city’s “Iron Lady” was built in 1889.
It has been hit by security alerts before – many of which turn out to be hoaxes.
In 2018, perimeter defences including bullet proof glass screens were erected to protect against Bataclan-style attacks.
Terrorist groups that have threatened it in recent years include Al-Qaeda and Isis.
It has also been attacked by members of the anti-government Yellow Vest movement, which last year lit fires at the base of the tower,and destroyed perimeter fencing.