Louvre Museum in Paris evacuated after bomb threat as France on high alert

The Louvre Museum in Paris has been evacuated after a bomb threat, amid heightened security fears in France. Thousands of visitors were seen leaving the art gallery when the hugely popular attraction was closed early on Saturday because of a written warning. Parents were seen dragging their children towards the exits as alarms rang out through the vast museum in central Paris overlooking the Seine River. The evacuation was announced at 11am, with tourists seen flooding out of the underground shopping centre beneath its iconic art gallery’s glass pyramid. A spokesperson for the museum the response was linked to the government’s decision to put France on high alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist. “The Louvre received a written message stating that there was a risk to the museum and its visitors”, a spokeswoman said after announcing the closure on social media. “We have decided... to evacuate and close it for the day, while we carry out the necessary checks”. The Louvre communication service added that no-one had been hurt. Videos posted online showed people leaving, some hurriedly and others stopping to take photos. The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day. The incident came after the French government raised the threat alert level and deployed 7,000 troops to increase security after Friday’s school attack. French authorities say a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization killed a teacher and wounded three other people before being captured. Dominique Bernard, 57, a French literature teacher, was stabbed to death in the courtyard of the Gambetta-Carnot secondary school in Arras on Friday. Three other members of staff were injured, two of them critically. The suspect, identified by prosecutors as Mohamed M., who has been arrested, was a former student of the Lycee Gambetta high school where the attack happened, a police source said. One of the attackers’ brothers was also detained nearby. Numerous witnesses heard the attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar”, according to prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard. The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas. Read More France is deploying 7,000 troops after a deadly school stabbing by a suspected Islamic radical Teacher killed in ‘terror attack’ at French school ‘died protecting others’ from knife rampage Reuters videographer killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli shelling is laid to rest The Louvre Museum in Paris is being evacuated after a threat while France is under high alert Scientists winkle a secret from the `Mona Lisa' about how Leonardo painted the masterpiece Russia and US say attacks by Putin’s forces in east are ‘new offensive’ - live