Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

The Louvre Museum in Paris is being evacuated after a threat while France is under high alert

Police officers patrol at the pyramid outside the Louvre museum in Paris,Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (Thibault Camus/AP Photo) Police officers patrol at the pyramid outside the Louvre museum in Paris,Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (Thibault Camus/AP Photo)
Share
PARIS -

The Louvre Museum in Paris is evacuating all visitors and staff and closing early Saturday because it received a written threat. It said the move was linked to the government's decision to put France on high alert after a fatal school stabbing by a suspected extremist.

The Louvre communication service said no one has been hurt and no incident has been reported. Paris police said verifications in the museum are underway.

Alarms rang out through the vast museum in central Paris overlooking the Seine River when the evacuation was announced, and in the underground shopping center beneath its signature pyramid.

Police cordoned off the monument from all sides, and the underground access, as tourists and other visitors streamed out. Videos posted online showed people leaving, some hurriedly and some stopping to take photos, others apparently confused about what was happening.

The French government raised the threat alert level and is deploying 7,000 troops to increase security after Friday's school attack. French authorities say a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization killed a teacher and wounded three other people before being captured.

The government is also concerned about fallout in France from the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors per day.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A Brampton woman says she is devastated after she lost more than $200,000 — her life's savings — to a romance scam.

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.