Eiffel Tower reopens more than two hours after bomb alert
AFP March 31, 2013 9:07am
French police stand guard near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Picture: AFP
VISITORS to the Eiffel Tower were evacuated from Paris's iconic monument, following an anonymous phone call announcing an attack.
About 1400 people were evacuated and a security perimeter was set up around the monument, a police source said.
The call came from the Paris suburbs and threatened an attack at 9.30pm (0730 AEDT).
Special police units were called in to inspect the monument.
The tower was reopened around two-and-a-half hours later after police searches failed to find any suspicious objects.
The anti-terrorism unit is investigating.
Bomb alerts targeting monuments and public places happen frequently in the French capital - and the tower was evacuated at least once last year and twice in 2011 - but all alerts are ''treated very seriously'', the police source said.
Security has been stepped up across France amid concerns about threats to the country during its military campaign in its former colony Mali.
