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France probes false bomb threats at Eiffel Tower

14 Aug 2023 05:39pm
Republican Security Corps (CRS) officers secure the area in central Paris on Aug 12, 2023, after a security alert prompted the evacuation of three floors of the Eiffel Tower, France's most emblematic symbol which drew 6.2 million visitors last year. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)
Republican Security Corps (CRS) officers secure the area in central Paris on Aug 12, 2023, after a security alert prompted the evacuation of three floors of the Eiffel Tower, France's most emblematic symbol which drew 6.2 million visitors last year. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

PARIS - French police have launched an investigation into two bomb scares at the Eiffel Tower this weekend that forced the monument to be evacuated twice in the same day, prosecutors said on Monday.

The landmark tower became the target of false bomb threats on two occasions on Saturday and was cleared of visitors each time.

Paris detectives are leading the probe into suspected "threats to lives" and "falsely claiming that a dangerous explosive incident has occurred or will occur", the prosectors' office said.

The charges carry a prison sentence of up to two years for those convicted.

The threats were made via posts on gaming site jeuxvideo.com and on moncommissariat.fr, a platform for online contact between citizens and police.

The Eiffel Tower, the French capital's main tourist magnet, attracted 5.8 million visitors last year. - AFP

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