Louvre Museum and Palace of Versailles closed following bomb threat
On Saturday October 14, the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Palace of Versailles were evacuated and closed following bomb threats. These events took place as France raised its alert level to “emergency attack” after the knife attack which killed a professor in Arras.
These evacuations have sparked serious concern about the safety of visitors to some of the country’s most iconic monuments. The Louvre Museum, the largest art museum in the world, announced its exceptional closure “for security reasons” following receipt of a written message indicating a risk for the museum and its visitors.
A few hours later, the Palace of Versailles, famous for its splendor and its history, was also evacuated following a bomb threat received via an anonymous message. The authorities immediately carried out the necessary checks to ensure the security of the premises, which resulted in the closure of the monument for the rest of the day.
It is important to emphasize that these evacuations were not the result of real threats. The Minister of the Interior stressed that it was neither a question of planting bombs nor of taking action. However, given the climate of emergency attack and to guarantee the safety of visitors, it was decided to take all necessary measures.
These events occur following the terrorist attack in Arras, during which a professor was killed by an individual registered with S. Faced with this threat, France raised its alert level and deployed 7,000 soldiers on the territory . Security has been increased at other venues such as the Stade de France and Rugby World Cup fan zones.
In conclusion, it is crucial to take all alerts seriously and implement the necessary security measures to protect the population. The Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles have made the responsible decision to temporarily close in order to guarantee the safety of their visitors.
Sources:
– “Bomb alert at the Louvre: the museum rooms evacuated”, Le Monde
– “Bomb alert in Versailles: the castle evacuated and closed”, France Info