Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Versailles Palace evacuated again for security alert amid high vigilance in France against attacks

The Palace of Versailles, one of France’s most visited tourist attractions, is being evacuated for a security scare

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 17 October 2023 12:34 BST
France Louvre
France Louvre (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Palace of Versailles, one of France's most visited tourist attractions, is being evacuated for a security scare. It’s the second time in four days the palace has had to close, with France on heightened alert against feared attacks after the fatal stabbing of a school teacher.

The former royal palace's account on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “For security reasons, the Palace of Versailles is evacuating visitors and closing its doors today Tuesday October 17. Thank you for your understanding.”

The post gave no other details.

The palace as well as the Louvre Museum in Paris were also evacuated of visitors and staff on Saturday after receiving bomb threats, police said.

France stepped up its terror alert level in the wake of the school attack in the northern city of Arras last Friday by a suspected Islamic extremist.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in