The renowned Palace of Versailles underwent its third evacuation this week due to security concerns, as confirmed by a statement posted on the social media platform X. This evacuation was part of a series of security actions taken across France in the past few days, with three airports also undergoing temporary closure for security inspections.
The Chateau of Versailles conveyed its apology for the necessary evacuation of guests from the opulent 17th-century palace, citing security reasons. Simultaneously, three French airports in Lyon, Toulouse, and Lille were also emptied on Wednesday following security alerts, as authorities confirmed the reception of unspecified threats via email.
These recent evacuations follow similar precautionary measures across France, including the temporary closure of the popular Louvre Museum after a teacher’s tragic killing in Arras on Friday. However, all threats, as of Wednesday, were deemed non-credible. Notably, both the Louvre Museum and the Chateau of Versailles were previously evacuated on Saturday, with the latter facing a second evacuation on Tuesday.
The Lyon regional prefecture clarified on Wednesday that the airport threat was a false alarm and emphasized the legal consequences, including potential imprisonment and heavy fines, for disseminating false information. Meanwhile, an unattended piece of luggage briefly disrupted operations at the airport in Nice, according to the airport authorities.
Further security measures were taken in Arras, where a high school was evacuated on Monday ahead of a nationwide moment of silence in remembrance of the slain teacher, allegedly the victim of a former student and suspected Islamist extremist. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether these security alerts are directly connected to the teacher’s fatal stabbing.
Amid these events, France has raised its threat alert to the highest level. The anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed on Tuesday that the suspect had pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group before the lethal attack.
