France lives in maximum alert for an attack following Friday’s attack on an institute in Arras, in the north of the country, in which a teacher was stabbed and three other people were injured. The Government has deployed 7,000 soldiers, within the Operation Sentinelwhich was activated after the attacks against the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in 2015.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced on Friday night the activation of maximum alert, after holding an emergency meeting at the Elysée with the president, Emmanuel Macron. Security has been reinforced in all schools.
The threat is strong in Paris: In the morning they had to evacuate and close the Louvre Museum after a threat. Shortly afterwards it was also evicted the palace of Versailles after receiving an anonymous message, police sources confirmed to AFP. Both will remain closed for security reasons.
The museum “received a written message reporting a risk for the museum and its visitors and we decided (…) to evacuate it and close it for the day, while we carry out essential controls,” a Louvre spokesperson told AFP.
Security is one of the most obsessive issues in France, especially in the face of the celebration of the Olympic Games in Paris next summer. Tonight the Rugby World Cup quarter-final match takes place.