On Wednesday, Eiffel Tower evacuated briefly after the Paris police knew about an alleged bomb threat. Later, it reopened for visitors when the police were sure about its safety.
Eiffel Tower evacuated
An anonymous called informed called the Paris police early morning on Wednesday. He said that there was a bomb placed in the famous tower. An official who works with the management company of the tower informed the press later. However, he didn’t disclose his name publicly.
Police cordoned the streets below the tower and bridge that stretches across Seine River and all through to Trocadero Plaza. They started removing the tape after two hours. Even after asking everyone to leave the place, some tourists were walking around in the area.
The Paris police didn’t release a statement immediately after the threat. Two officers who were at the scene told the press that their operations happened after they got a call about bomb threat. A French journalist named Amaury Bucco tweeted that a Muslim man was shouting “Allahu Akbar,” which means God is Great in Arabic. He threatened to denote an explosive that could blow everything up. The journalist cited an unnamed police source for leaking this information. He also said that this happened around 11 am local time.
The Eiffel Tower is 131 years old and gets more than 25,000 visitors every day. This year, things have been different due to the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions. The tower is scheduled to be opened every day. But it does close down due to such threats, alerts, or labor strikes.
After the evacuation, the police searched for explosives but didn’t find anything. The place was open to tourists at 2:25 pm that day. Manuel, a tourist guide, said that the evacuation happened in an orderly way, and there was no panic. The threat might have been a hoax because the police found nothing.
