Man ‘threatened to blow up Arc de Triomphe while wearing belt of explosives’

A man threatened to blow up one of the most famous monuments in Paris while wearing ‘a belt of explosives’.

Tourists were evacuated from the Arc de Triomphe, located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, and the perimeter around it was cordoned off for an hour earlier today.

It is understood that French police received a call from a hidden number at about 11am local time this morning by a man who told them he will blow up the Arc. 

According to a police source cited by Le Parisien, he claimed to have a belt with explosives on him.

He warned he was preparing to carry out attacks in the city alongside four other individuals.

Officers were deployed to the Eiffel Tower and the Bataclan Theatre where checks were underway.

The cordon around the Arc has since been lifted and is expected to reopen to the public later this afternoon after police confirmed the threat to be a ‘hoax’.

This is the latest bomb threat to have hit the French capital this year, after a turbulent summer in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

Previously, Gare du Nord and Paris Orly Airport have been evacuated due to suspicion of attacks, which all turned out to be false.

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