Thousands of visitors have been evacuated from the Louvre in Paris after museum staff received a written threat, reports The Guardian.
The warning on Saturday came as France is on its highest alert for terrorist attacks after the killing of a teacher by a suspected radical Islamist in the north of the country on Friday.
The museum said it would remain closed all afternoon “for security reasons” and that police and staff were carrying out “verifications” of the buildings after an estimated 15,000 people were instructed to leave.
Louvre officials said they had received a written message on Saturday morning “stating there is a risk to the museum and its visitors”. They said it had “chosen to evacuate and close for the day in order to carry out essential checks”, adding that those who had booked tickets to visit will be reimbursed.
Hours after the Louvre closure, the Château de Versailles was also evacuated after a bomb threat.
As many as 7,000 troops are being deployed across the country as the terror threat was raised this weekend.