Four airports in France evacuated over bomb threats as country on high terrorist alert

France is in a state of high terror alert after a teacher was stabbed to death
Nice airport was among four closed on Wednesday
AFP Images
Peter Allen18 October 2023

Four airports in France were evacuated on Wednesday following bomb warnings. 

It comes after the country was put on a state of high terror alert when a teacher was stabbed to death by an alleged ISIS operative last week.

A security services source said airports in Lille, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse received phoned threats ‘at around 10am on Wednesday and acted upon’. 

Travellers were told to evacuate terminals, while bomb disposal experts supported by sniffer dogs looked for explosives. 

By midday, there were no reports of any explosions, suggesting that all the warnings were a hoax. 

It follows a series of almost daily similar warnings including one at the Palace of Versailles on Tuesday.

Hundreds of visitors were led out of the historic tourist site in France as a specialist police explosives unit was dispatched. 

By late afternoon the palace, which has about 15,000 visitors a day, was reopened and a security cordon lifted.

The same thing happened on Saturday, when the palace was again cleared and closed after receiving a message suggesting there was a security risk. 

The Louvre Museum, which has 30,000 visitors daily, was also evacuated after receiving a threatening message last Saturday.

France's Palace of Versailles reopens after being evacuated for security reasons
Police standing guard in front of the Palace of Versailles
REUTERS

France has been on a security alert since Friday, after alleged self-confessed ISIS terrorist Mohamed Mogouchkov, 20, killed teacher Dominique Bernard at the Gambetta high school in Arras, northern France.

Mogouchkov, who also severely wounded two other members of staff remains in custody.

Thousands of England rugby fans are due in Paris at the weekend for their side’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa.

Emergency security measures introduced to keep such visitors safe include 7000 soldiers being placed on the street. 

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the Israel-Hamas War in the Middle East was increasing tensions across the world, including in France.

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