Eiffel Tower evacuated amid fears of a terrorist attack

Almaty. March 24. Kazakhstan Today - More than 4,000 tourists were evacuated on Wednesday from the Eiffel Tower after a suspicious package was found, Kazakhstan Today reports.

More than 4,000 terrified tourists were today evacuated from the Eiffel Tower amid fears of a terrorist attack when a suspicious package was found, Daily Mail reported.

An anonymous caller rang police to warn that the world famous monument was to be blown up at 5pm this afternoon.

An official at the 1,063ft high tower in the French capital said the structure was evacuated after the package was found underneath the iron rafters.

The prominent building has been seen as a prime terrorist target by extremists from Al Qaeda and those who oppose Libyan bombings.

But it is understood that the tower has now re-opened after a check found that there were no explosives.

Tourists were allowed back on the sandy plaza beneath the tower after a little more than two hours, and the ticket office is being reopened.

The scare follows repeated terrorist threats against France from Al Qaeda, and from those who oppose the bombing of Libya.

It is understood that the package was found on the plaza beneath the tower where large groups of tourists were stood.

Police and soldiers could be seen scouring the 1,063ft high tower for suspect devices and the entire area surrounding the tower was cordoned off.

A Paris police official said nearly 4,000 tourists were evacuated from the site after an anonymous caller warned that the Paris monument would be blown up at 1700 GMT.

The site is occasionally evacuated because of threats.

A bomb attack on the tower, which is the same height as an 81-storey building, could cause devastation with thousands of tourists from around the world flocking to the site every day.

Visitors are able to walk up to the first and second levels in the tower before taking a lift to the third and highest level.

If the enormous iron lattice tower was to crash to the ground it could cause widespread damage to the surrounding area.

The tourist destination was evacuated in September last year after a similar bomb threat was made.

The monument and the park surrounding it were cleared by Paris police after someone allegedly phoned police claiming the tower and the Saint Michel RER commuter train station were targets.

Police were concerned about two types of threat by Islamist extremists - an assassination bid on an important figure or an attack on a crowded area like a tourist spot, a metro train or a department store.

Intelligence received from an allied foreign spy agency suggested that Al-Qaeda's North African branch, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was planning an imminent attack in France.

The Algerian intelligence agency has passed on warnings about militants heading to French to carry out attacks, and officials say there is also evidence of Jihadi fighters returning from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Nicolas Sarkozy was at the forefront of action to support rebels fighting Colonel Ghaddafi in Libya, and French jets have spearheaded the attacks on the country, together with the RAF.

This has increased fears that France may be the target of attacks from extreme Islamic groups.

Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with the British being the biggest visitor group.

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