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Suspected terror attack closes Eiffel tower to visitors

Heavy clouds are pictured over the Eiffel Tower and the Seine river in Paris on August 24, 2015. (AFP)

Hundreds of visitors have been turned away from the Eiffel Tower in France after “terrorist suspects” carrying large rucksacks were seen scaling the tourist attraction.

According to a Sunday report by the Daily Mail, suspects had been spotted early morning climbing the world famous tower, which has constantly been referred in threat messages by terrorist groups such as Daesh and al-Qaeda.

“There were reports of three people climbing the tower from the outside from about 5.30 am,” a police source said.

Ticket booths were shut down, the surrounding area was cordoned off by police and tourists were evacuated to the banks of the nearby River Seine.

According to witnesses, anti-terrorist forces, supported by a helicopter, could be seen searching for the alleged attackers all morning, but they could not be found.

“They were said to have large rucksacks so no chances could be taken. They completely disappeared, so enquiries are centered on them being extreme parachutists,” said the source, adding that, “There were of course fears that they may have left dangerous material on the tower before leaving.”

Daesh and al-Qaeda Takfiri terrorists frequently threaten to carry out bomb attacks on Paris’s landmark tourist attraction. France has upped security around the tower since the January 7 Charlie Hebdo attacks which claimed the lives of 11 people.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most popular tourist sites and attracts over seven million visitors every year. According to statistics, almost 90 percent of the tower’s visitors are foreign tourists.


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