Police: About 2,000 evacuated from Eiffel Tower area after anonymous bomb alert

Police: Eiffel Tower evacuated over bomb alert

PARIS — Paris’ Eiffel Tower and its immediate surroundings underneath were evacuated Tuesday evening after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat, the French capital’s police headquarters said.

About 2,000 people were cleared from the 324-meter (1,063-foot) monument on the banks of the Seine River, and police were checking it for suspicious objects, a spokesman at the police headquarters said. He declined to give his name, citing department policy.

Eiffel Tower security services made the decision to clear out tourists and workers following the threat, the spokesman said.

Despite the scare, tourists and curious Parisians continued to mill around the surrounding sidewalks, and traffic continued to circulate nearby. Several police trucks were posted under the tower, and officers stood guard.

The tower is France’s most popular monument, and last year, 6.6 million people visited it.