Eiffel Tower briefly evacuated after bomb hoax

	Eiffel Tower reopens in Paris after a 3-month shutdown, the longest closure since WWII
	Vietnam strongly condemns bomb attacks in Philippines
	Replica of Eiffel Tower illuminates perish in central Vietnam

French police officers secure the bridge leading to the Eiffel Tower, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Paris. Paris police have blockaded the area around the Eiffel Tower after a phone-in bomb threat. Photo: AP

The 131-year-old Eiffel Tower was evacuated for several hours on September 22 after police received a call suggesting a bomb had been placed there.

Hundreds of people, including tourists, restaurant staff and workmen were led away as the area around the Paris monument was cordoned off.

The Paris police confirmed that officers did not find anything suspicious, but declined to provide more details about the anonymous call.

The monument reopened at about 2:25 p.m. local time. Photo: AP

“It was an orderly evacuation, there was no panic,” said Manuel, a tour guide on site when the evacuation order was given.

The monument reopened at about 2:25 p.m. local time (12:25 p.m. GMT) under strict security measures, Reuters reported.

Citing unnamed police sources, French journalist Amaury Bucco tweeted that a man “shouted Allahua Akbar" (Arabic for "God is great") and threatened to detonate a device to "blow up everything" shortly after 11 a.m. local time, according to AP.

The iconic landmark in the French capital receives some 25,000 tourists daily. Photo: new.ebsene-magazine.com

The iconic landmark in the French capital receives some 25,000 tourists daily in normal years, but visits are down this year because of coronavirus travel restrictions. While the Eiffel Tower is scheduled to be open every day, it occasionally closes because of suicide threats, bomb threats or labor strikes.

Eiffel Tower. Getty image

In 2018, the north and south perimeters of the Eiffel Tower was retrofitted with bulletproof glass to protect the site against potential terror attacks. The east and west sides of the tower also had metal fencing installed to stop any vehicles that try to ram into the grounds. The perimeters were put in place following a series of terror attack that took place in France in the past decade. In 2015, the French capital was hit with two separate terror attacks in January and November, Forbes said./.

Vietnam, France share medical expertise for field hospital staff The Vietnamese Ministry of Defence’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the French Defence Attache Office in Vietnam launched an exchange of medical expertise in Hanoi ...

Vietnam, France highlight determination to promote ties Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his French counterpart Edouard Philippe affirmed their determination to deepen the Vietnam-France strategic partnership for shared benefit during their ...

Vietnam, France sign joint vision statement on defence cooperation Vietnamese Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and his French counterpart Florence Parly signed a joint vision statement on defence cooperation for 2018-2028 at their talks ...