The Louvre Museum was evacuated on Saturday morning after receiving bomb threats. Alarms sounded throughout the museum as well as the underground shopping center beneath its iconic glass signature designed by architect I.M. Pei.
The Paris institution told the Associated Press that no one was hurt, no incident was reported, and police officers had searched the museum.
The museum’s website had a red banner which stated “For security reasons, the Musée du Louvre is closing its doors today, Saturday, October 14. Those who have booked a visit during the day will be reimbursed. Thank you for your understanding.” The same message was posted on the museum’s social media pages.
Earlier this year, the Louvre announced it would be limiting the number of daily visitors to 30,000 “in order to facilitate a comfortable visit and ensure optimal working conditions for museum staff”.
Prior to the pandemic, the Louvre could welcome up to 45,000 visitors each day, according to the Art Newspaper.
Versailles Palace also evacuated visitors and staff on Saturday, a national police spokesperson told the AP. The French government has put the country on high alert after a man stabbed a teacher to death and injured three other people at a high school in the northern city of Arras on October 13.
The incident prompted the French government to deploy 7,000 troops by Monday night to increase security around the country. The national threat alert level was also raised to “attack emergency”, a status which allows the government to temporarily mobilize the military to protect public places, according to the AP.